Life Could Be A Dream
by Anri
Summary: Jareth has been watching Sarah.  One night she wishes for some company, but little does she know who will answer that call.  Just why does The Goblin King come to her, and what does he want?  JS
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth, sadly, nor do I own any of the characters.

**READ ME! YES YOU! READ ME!** This is a re-write. No it's not done, but there were just some errors that were wrecking my life. All current chapters are done. I felt the need to fix this before I could comfortably go on with the story.

Life Could Be a Dream

Chapter One

In the Dark of the Night

"Sarah!" Looking up from her school work, Sarah sighed.

"What?" It had been none other than her stepmother Irene whom called her. It was two years ago that Sarah had run the Labyrinth, and though she had changed, things at home remained relatively the same.

"We're going out now," Irene called back. "Your father is warming the car up. Toby has been fed and put to sleep, we'll be home late!" Sarah rolled her eyes, her parents went out constantly; tonight was no different. They always returned at obnoxious hours of the morning, often leaving Sarah to wonder just what they did on these dates they had.

"Alright, have fun," Sarah called, unmoving from her vanity where she sat. A moment later she heard first the front door, and then a car door close. Before she knew it she was alone again with nothing but her three-year-old brother. She thought briefly about calling Hoggle and her other friends from the Labyrinth.

Over the past two years, Sarah had kept in touch with her mystical comrades from the magical Labyrinth. Sadly, her calls had become more infrequent the busier she became. It was after all, her junior year, and this years finals were really beginning to weigh her down. _As soon as I get this done…_

Sarah was currently working on some math homework, and had nearly finished it. Tonight was a light night on homework. The teachers were trying to go easy on them with the final exams coming up. She was blissfully un-aware of the white barn owl sitting on a branch outside of her window. She had remained blissfully un-aware of its weekly presence since her defeat of the Labyrinth two years ago.

After a moment, she closed her math book with a satisfied sigh. She had started putting more of herself into her school work, and moving slowly away from her fairy tales. No matter how distracted she became by school work, her imagination would never completely let her un-root herself from her beloved stories.

"Hoggle, I need you," Sarah said into her mirror. It took no more than a few seconds for her dwarf friend to appear in the mirror. He looked a little more than surprised that she had called.

"Sarah, it's good ta' hear from ya," Hoggle said, sitting upon her bed. "How've ya been?" Sarah smiled, as she turned in her chair to face him.

"I've been well, I've got some free time, and I wanted to check in with you. How are things in the Labyrinth?" Hoggle gave a dismissive shrug before answering.

"Same old, everyone's doing well. Ludo and Sir Didymus were busy, said ta' give you their kindest regard."

"That's good to hear, what have they been up to lately?"

"We've been working around the castle mostly. Thought fer sure Jareth would have us all chucked in an oubliette, but he just wanted to make sure that none of us would be runin' off to help more players." Sarah looked at bit surprised at this. She couldn't imagine Jareth being lenient.

"That was… kind of him," Sarah said slowly.

"That it was. Listen Sarah, not to seem in hurry, but I've got some things to finish up. We'll talk again soon won't we?" Hoggle looked at her worriedly as he finished his statement. Sarah tried to hide the disappointment in her voice as she put on a smile and nodded.

"Of course, summer is coming up soon. I will have a lot more time then." Hoggle smiled, looking as though a weight had been lifted.

"Good ta' hear Sarah, we don't see enough of ya these days." With that said, Hoggle waved goodbye, and was gone.

Sarah sighed; it was always so lonely when Irene and her father went out. It wasn't as though she would hang around them or anything, but just their presence in the house helped.

"I wish I had someone to talk to," Sarah said wistfully to herself. It was then that she was startled by a clicking noise coming from her window. Cautiously, she looked over to see the same snow white barn owl from two years ago pecking it's beak upon her window. _It couldn't be… no… I'll just open the window and scare it away…_

Rising from her chair, Sarah made her way over to the window thinking the bird would be frightened and fly away. When it didn't, she opened the window with the intent to shoo it away. No such thing occurred, for as soon as she opened the window, the owl flew in before she could act.

Turning around quickly, Sarah watched as the owl disappeared in a cloud of sparkling dust, and in its place stood none other than the Goblin King. Sarah's mouth was agape, she didn't know what to say or do. _This has to be some kind of dream… A math homework induced dream…_She tried to convince herself that she had fallen asleep over her home work. After pinching her hand a few times and not waking she realized that the Goblin King had indeed just flown through her window, and was waiting for her to speak.

"What are you doing here..?" Finally Sarah had found her voice as she stared at the handsome king before her. She regarded him warily, unsure of what to think of his visit.

"You wished for someone to talk to, did you not?" Jareth had a smirk on his face as he watched her try to sort through her confusion.

"Y… Yes, but I didn't expect…"

"You should really be careful what you wish for Sarah. I thought you would have learned that by now," Jareth said.

"Why would you bother answering to any wish I made?" Sarah still didn't seem to be able to accept the fact that he was here, standing in her room, trying to start a conversation with her. "Shouldn't you hate me or something for defeating you?"

"Oh, Sarah, you don't give me nearly enough credit. On the other hand, it appears I've given you too much; as you cannot even remember the story." Jareth shrugged it off, not letting her question his statement. "Either way, I'm not that poor a loser," he replied with mock offense, his mismatched eyes glittering in the dimly lit room.

"I suppose not." Sarah looked Jareth over noticing he was doing the same to her. He looked the same as always. He was wearing the same outfit she had seen him in when he had sent the "cleaners" after her. It was a rather unpleasant memory. "Well, since you are here, what do you want to talk about?"

"Sarah, that is up to you. It was you who wished for someone to talk with," The Goblin King replied. She had grown up, her face was more angulated, and her body more curvaceous, the way a woman's body should be. Her hair was about the same length, longer if anything. Her eyes, those same burning emerald orbs that had first enthralled him, were just as fiery as ever.

"Well, I can't say I honestly believed someone would magically appear in a sparkly mess in my room for me to converse with," Sarah retorted. Jareth only smiled at her attitude, which also happened to be the same as he remembered it. He had watched her transform into this young woman, but he would never let her know that. "How did you even hear me? Were you watching me?" Sarah managed to sound offended.

"You could say that," Jareth said evasively, still grinning.

"Apparently you Fae have no problems with stalking," Sarah said turning away from him. Jareth laughed if all but a bit coldly at her statement.

"What's wrong with keeping a bit of an eye on the only mortal to ever defeat my Labyrinth?" Sarah opened her mouth for what Jareth assumed to be another witty reply, but he cut her off. "I am here because I happened to be passing through and heard you, if you wish for me to leave; all you have to do is say so." With a sigh, Sarah shook her head. _More like watching and heard me…_

"You're here now; as long as you promise not to take some helpless baby then I don't see why you can't stay for awhile." Jareth turned serious for a moment.

"Sarah I only take children who are unwanted, in most cases the one running the Labyrinth does not wish to have the child back quite as badly as you did. Most times they are older siblings, like you were, and choose to take their dreams instead." Jareth watched her expression as he said this.

"I often wonder what it would have been like if I had accepted my dreams," Sarah said slowly, more to herself than to him. She wondered what allowed her to be so calm around him; after all, he was her enemy. At least that's what she told herself to fuel her way through the Labyrinth. The arrogance Jareth held disappeared for a moment.

"I can show you Sarah, what you could have had if you had chosen to stay with me," Jareth said slowly. "I've never offered a mortal the option of remaining with me before you." Sarah returned her gaze to the Goblin King, trying to decide if she could take him seriously.

"You would do that for me… After all that's happened, just let me see what I could have had?" Jareth gave a seemingly noncommittal shrug.

"If you wish…"

"Why, why would I want to see what my dreams could be only to have them ripped away from me…?" Sarah turned away again, thinking of dismissing him.

"I will make a deal with you Sarah. I will give you three days with me in my castle, with everything you've ever wanted. If you decide that you truly wish to stay, then I will only ask one thing of you…"

"What would you ask of me?" Sarah was quick to jump the gun. "I will not trade my brother, or…" Jareth cut her off just as quickly.

"No, no dearest Sarah, this is something that will come from you. It will involve no one else," Jareth said. "You are in no way bound to give me anything if you decide to return to your ordinary life here." Sarah looked at him, fear, intrigue, desire, confusion, all swirling around her emerald gaze.

Sarah would be eighteen in three days; she had started school late and as such was one of the older girls in her class. His offer seemed harmless enough, but could she really trust him?

"No strings attached?" Sarah couldn't take her eyes off of the handsome Fae before her.

"None at all," Jareth said, slowly offering her his hand. "Will you come with me?"

"What about Toby?" Jareth smirked, Sarah truly had started to grow up. Any other girl would have completely forgotten her duties at home. "Also, what of my school work? I don't want to fall behind."

"Think of it this way dearest, if you decide to return to your droll life here, I will reorder time back to this very moment and you will have missed nothing. If you do decide to stay with me, however, I will see to it that the child comes to no harm, and that your parents and school think nothing of your absence…"

It seemed fair enough, but Sarah was beginning to wonder what Jareth could possibly want from her. She knew he was powerful, but could he really do all of this? A picture of her parents enraged at her negligence and disappearance for three days was forcing its way into her mind. Though she didn't particularly trust Jareth, his words were straight forward, and she knew that the Fae were not able to openly lie with out enduring some sort of pain.

"You give me your word? You'll let me come home if I say no?" Sarah asked seriously. She almost couldn't believe she was doing this, but the "what ifs" had plagued her so often, if nothing else she could finally put them to rest.

"Of course," Jareth replied. There was no humor or trickery in his gaze. Hesitantly she reached forward and took his outstretched hand. A cold laugh resounded around the room as she felt the world turn around her; they both disappeared in a cloud of glitter.

Author's Note:

I don't know what compelled me to write this, probably all of the Labby fiction I have been reading lately. As of right now I see this story as being relatively short, but I promise to make it good. Just what does Jareth want from Sarah, and why is he being so kind to her? Keep reading, and as always please review and let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth, and sadly still, any of the characters.

Chapter Two

Rose of the Devil's Garden

Within seconds Jareth and Sarah appeared in the same goblin infested throne room, only this time, it was not so over run with goblins. Sarah shook away the vertigo that came from their magical transportation and looked around. The place didn't look half bad with out the chickens and dirty little goblins causing havoc everywhere. Jareth watched her as she examined her new surroundings, waiting for her to say something.

"Where will I be staying?" Sarah decided that if she was going to be staying here for three days, she should have her own room.

"Follow me," Jareth said commandingly. Sarah briefly thought of what would happen should she disobey him, thinking that it may in fact be slightly humorous with no ones life on the line. Deciding that she would avoid conflict for tonight, Sarah followed him quietly out of the throne room.

Despite the state of the room the goblins clearly in habited, the rest of the castle was absolutely gorgeous. It was like the castles Sarah had always dreamed about as a little girl. The hallways were large, the floors made of marble, and beautiful silken tapestries wafted lightly in a breeze of which the origin was unknown.

"This," Jareth said, pulling Sarah out of her daze, "will be your room." He opened a door to the right, and Sarah gasped. The bed was covered in a dark green satin comforter. The bed itself sat atop what looked to be a few marble stairs surrounding the mattress. The floors where made of beige marble with streaks of dark brown, giving the room with its emerald green wall hangings a very earthy feel. There was a dark wooden vanity, along with closets and dressers full of all the things Sarah would ever or could ever need.

"Jareth… this room is… perfect," Sarah breathed out walking over to two glass doors that were gilded in gold that led out to a balcony. Swinging the doors open and stepping out into the cool breeze; she was surprised to see the rather large garden below. From the front of the castle, it wouldn't appear that there was a garden anywhere in the vicinity. _Nothing's what it seems here, remember?_ Sarah thought to herself.

"I thought you may like it," Jareth replied moving to stand behind her, resting his gloved hands upon her shoulders. "Your first day will begin tomorrow, for now you should get some rest." Sarah turned out of his grasp and gave him a look he hadn't expected to see; gratitude, longing, and affection; such a strange display of emotions. He could hardly fathom how she managed to hold so many feelings in just one look.

"Good night," Sarah said with a shy smile.

"Sleep well, Sarah," The Goblin King said with a grin that could only be described as arrogant; before disappearing out of the room.

Looking through the closet, Sarah found some sleeping attire and walked up the marble platform to sink in the comfortable sheets. She didn't know what this mattress was made of, but she wasn't about to complain. It was almost too easy to fall asleep in this bed as she snuggled up with the pillows.

Jareth watched through a crystal with a troubled visage as Sarah slept.

"Your Majesty?" Jareth chucked the crystal over his shoulder, allowing it to shatter into diamond like pieces on the floor.

"Dydimus?" Jareth did not turn to face the fox like being behind him.

"I am glad that your initial plan of getting the Lady here was successful, but do you think that she will agree to stay?" Dydimus sounded more curious than anything, not wanting to upset his King.

"She has to," Jareth said somberly. Sir Dydimus waited a moment before bowing and excusing himself. "…for me… and for everyone," he whispered once sure that the knight was far from ear-shot.

Sarah awoke the next morning feeling really rested. She had not slept so well in a long time. Stretching out, she nearly fell out of the bed once the events of last night had come back to her. Sitting up quickly, she smiled gently to see that she was still in the beautiful earthy room.

The bright sun light filtered in through the balcony doors. Getting out of bed, she spotted a door that was to the left of her dresser. Wandering over, she found it was a beautiful bathroom, towel racks, mirrors, all gilded in the same gold as the balcony doors. The towels in every size were all of the same emerald green color of her bed. The tub itself was large enough for five people, set into the marble, with a seat carved out for just about anywhere. Lining the tub were several soaps, bath oils, shampoos, and conditioners of every scent.

The facet and curled handles were also gold. Turning on a mixture of warm and cool water, Sarah poured in some lavender scented bath oil. She briefly wondered how it was possible that there was hot water, but decided she could ask Jareth about it later. Slipping out of the white silk night gown she had slept in, she waited until the tub was filled with steamy water before lowering herself in. She closed her eyes breathing in the aroma. After soaking for a few minutes, she grabbed a wash cloth and proceeded to get cleaned off. Lastly, she shampooed and conditioned her hair. Deciding that she was indeed clean, she pulled the gold chain that attached to the plug to the drain, and stepped out as the water slowly emptied.

Drying off, Sarah found a robe of the same color as the towels and wrapped it around herself, a cloud of steam following her as she left the bathroom. She was surprised to see that her bed had been made, but didn't dwell on it long as she made her way over to the wardrobe. Inside there were many, many dresses, some more casual than the others. _Some of these dresses are modern… Leave it to the Goblin King to keep in style. _She thought with slight amusement.

Looking outside, it appeared to be a warm summer day. With this mind set, Sarah picked out a spaghetti strap summer dress that fell short just above her knees. Sitting below all the dresses were matching slippers. Sliding them on, Sarah went to sit at the vanity. There were several jewelry boxes and make up of all kinds along with different style and sized hair brushes. It was as if Jareth had read her mind about the clothes she liked as well as everything that was set before her. She felt a bit wrong wearing the jewels, so she let them be.

Sarah's hair had almost air dried by now, which was unusual, it usually took forever for her hair to dry. Brushing through her dark locks, she reveled in the feel that they were as silky smooth as the night gown she had slept in and poker straight. "Damn, I wish my hair would be this tame everyday," she said quietly to herself.

Sarah had decided on a more natural make up look, not putting on too much. No sooner had she finished this that there was a knock at the door. Standing up, she looked herself over in the mirror once more and deemed her appearance acceptable.

"Coming," Sarah called brightly. Opening the door, she smiled as she say her good friend Dydimus standing there. "Sir Dydimus!" She bent down and wrapped the little fox like creature in a hug.

"My Lady, it's so good to see you!" Dydimus returned her hug as best he could with his little arms. "I was sent to bring you down for breakfast. The King is waiting for you." Sarah nodded and followed her small companion down to the dining hall, babbling on about all that had happened since she had last seen him.

Once they reached the doors, Dydimus opened them and allowed Sarah entrance. Jareth was already seated at the head of a long dark wooded table.

"Good morning, Sarah," Jareth said to her kindly. "I trust you slept well?" It was unusual for her to hear him speak this way. He had only talked to her like this at the very end of the Labyrinth, when he was trying the last he could think of to get her to stay.

"Good morning, and yes, I did sleep very well." Sarah smiled nervously as he stood and pulled the seat out to his right allowing her to sit down. There was a large array of breakfast foods before her. There were fruits, pancakes, sausages, ham, bacon, toast, jellies, it was enough to feed the whole Goblin City. "Do you always have this much food, I mean, to eat alone?"

"Yes, but more often than not I have more guests around," Jareth replied coolly. Making sure Sarah ate something, he helped himself to some of the delicious looking food as well.

Once they had both finished, Sarah looked around the extravagant dining hall. The room was very large, it had to be to fit this giant table in it. There were many windows going down along the side of the room with dark red curtains that were pulled back by none other than gold strings to allow the sun light in. There were two other doors on either end of the room, the one she had entered in being on the side opposite the windows.

"What would you like to do today Sarah? Anything you've ever wanted to do, just ask and it will be yours," Jareth said airily. Sarah thought for a moment, before an idea came to her. _The gardens..._ She had a perfect view of them from her balcony, but she had wanted a closer look.

"Will you take me through the gardens, I mean, if you're not too busy that is?" Sarah suddenly felt bashful; it was awkward considering their past encounters left no room for such an emotion. Why was she so nervous around him now? _ This is just absurd. _She mused. Jareth smiled; that same devilish smile that always made her feel at a loss for words. He hesitated watching as she mentally scolded herself.

"Of course Sarah, I have set aside these three days only for you." Rising from his chair, he pulled Sarah's chair out for her, and offered her his arm. Hesitating only a moment, Sarah smiled and accepted.

That was the way the couple could be seen, meandering along the long paths of the large garden. Occasionally Sarah would question about what a certain flower was, and Jareth would answer her. He showed her all through the garden, down all the different paths, many of which led to a small lake towards the center.

It was at the lake that they stopped to rest. With a small flourish of his hand a small picnic appeared before them. Jareth led Sarah over to the light blue blanket and watched as she took a seat, watching a few mystical looking fish jump out of the water. Watching her there, Jareth thought she looked like she belonged. A blooming rose among all of the color and greenery around them. The most beautiful sight he had seen in a long while.

"Is it really lunch time already?" Sarah looked to the basket, and blushed as her stomach gave a growl. "I hadn't realized just how long we had been walking around. It's so beautiful out here."

"That it is," Jareth replied sitting down beside her. They had spent almost three hours wandering the garden. They talked and laughed as though they were the best of friends; getting into little squabbles about this and that as though they were a married couple. To the outsider's eye, it was quite amusing and endearing to watch.

Jareth ate nothing, but watched as Sarah helped herself to the sandwiches he had the kitchen prepare.

"Mmm!" Sarah had taken the first bite of what appeared to be nothing more than a turkey sandwich with lettuce and some sort of dressing on it. "These are delicious, you really should have one," she said offering one to her companion. Jareth was never one for lunch, but couldn't bear to tell her no as he took the sandwich and ate it. She had been correct, the food was quite good.

After their little picnic, Jareth cleared the blanket and food with a wave of his hand, making it appear as though it had never been there.

"Come, I will show you the rest of the Castle," Jareth said, taking Sarah's hand. Since she would be staying here for another two days, he didn't want her to be completely lost. It took only a few minutes to return to the castle. He started at the entrance telling her where each individual hallway led, and only leading her down the ones that she would be using most often.

It had taken most of the after noon, but finally he stopped at two large wooden doors, carvings of mythical beings, flowers, and vines all over it.

"This, dearest Sarah, is my room." Jareth did not open the doors, nor did he give any indication that she would be seeing the inside of it on this tour. "Should you ever need me, I will mostly likely be here, though I doubt you will need to worry. I would be able to sense your distress and come running." Sarah tilted her head slightly as she smiled and nodded. He had shown her the library and a few private studies among many other strange rooms.

The castle was so unlike anything Sarah had ever imagined. Seeing it from the Goblin City, she never would have imagined that there would be this beautiful.

Putting his hand to the small of her back, Jareth led Sarah down a few hallways back to her own room.

"If you would like, there are a few hours til dinner, I thought you might like some time to yourself." Jareth smiled as she looked almost disappointed to be out of his presence.

"Yes, actually I would," Sarah said, smiling back. It was true, she would like some time to mull over her feelings and thoughts.

"Then I shall send for you, dinner is at seven." With that said, Jareth turned to leave, but Sarah quickly grabbed him by the wrist, her gaze fixed at the floor as he turned to look at her.

"Jareth, all of this is wonderful. You've been so kind to me, and I just… just thank you, for everything…" Jareth gave an honest smile, as he lifted her chin with his free hand. She released her grip upon him, and had a sharp intake of breath as he moved very close to her. Resting his hands on her shoulders, he tilted his head down to whisper in her ear.

"There is no need to thank me Sarah. Everything I've done I've done for you," Jareth said, almost singing as his lips brushed her cheek in a light kiss before he disappeared in a cloud of glitter. Sarah, having been left in his sparkly wake, put her hand to her cheek where he had kissed her, and retreated to her room with her mind buzzing.

Author's Note:

Jareth is definitely trying to win Sarah over, but for what reason exactly? Sarah is wondering the same thing. Keep reading and as always please review and let me know what you think, it really helps motivate. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth, and even sadder still, any of the characters.

Chapter Three

Moon Dance

Sarah had just shut the door behind her, still completely stunned over what had just happened, what she had just allowed to happen. _I must be losing it. This has to be a trick; I've gotten over him long ago. Haven't I?_ She was berating herself for allowing her thoughts to get so attached to the idea of being with Jareth again. He was almost a completely different person from the King whom she had beaten over two years ago. Could it be that he only treated her as such because back then she was just another player in the Labyrinth? Why was he acting like this towards her, like he would give anything if only she'd stay? There had to be something going on, but he had seemed so sincere, she hated to think it would all be a scheme.

Pacing around the room, Sarah sighed and seated herself at her vanity, looking herself over in the mirror. Her appearance was almost too perfect, and this place felt too right, like the Labyrinth itself was pleased with her presence.

"If only I knew I could really trust him," Sarah said to herself with a sigh. _Even if I could, could I really… could I really just up and leave my family and friends behind…Three days for him to win me over completely, and make me believe that he really loves me…_ Thinking of this, it briefly reminded her of her favorite Disney movie back home, "The Little Mermaid." Poor Ariel only had till the sun set of the third day to earn the kiss of true love. It was almost comical how this situation was almost exactly the same, at least in her mind. Sarah knew that she had been falling for Jareth again ever since he had first flown in to her room for the second time. She doubted that she had ever really gotten over the idea of accepting his offer.

The only thing that was stopping her from accepting her long buried feelings was Jareth. If only she knew that this was all because he cared for her. She would have no way to know, he would most likely never tell her. Shaking her head, she put her thoughts to the back of her mind. She still had another two whole days to decide if true love was enough to make her leave behind everything she had ever really known. _Isn't that how it's supposed to go? The prince and princess fall in love and live happily ever after?_ She sighed, letting her mind wander.

A knock at the door startled Sarah out of her reverie. Was it really seven already? She looked out the window to see that the sun was indeed making its descent, turning the entire world to dusk.

Opening the door, Sarah saw no one, but heard someone clearing their throat. Looking down, her lips formed a small "o" as she saw a short Goblin maid standing before her.

"Watch out there deary, come now, I'm here to get you ready for dinner. His Highness would like you in formal wear. Don't be frightened now, go and pick out a gown you would like to wear for the evening." The little goblin maid had bustled her way past Sarah making her way to the wardrobe, beckoning the dark haired girl to come over.

"Alright, but may I ask your name?" Sarah began rifling through the wardrobe towards the formal gowns.

"M' names Elda, is that the dress you want?" Sarah had pulled out an emerald green Victorian style dress with black lace. It complimented her eyes perfectly. With a nod from Sarah, Elda instructed her to undress to under garments and step into the dress. Doing as she was told, Sarah relaxed her arms to her sides as Elda did up the back of the dress which was in a corset style. Sarah's form was very lithe, making the need to lace the corset like top up to very uncomfortable standards unnecessary.

Satisfied with the way the dress fit, Elda led Sarah back to the vanity making her sit. The Goblin maid had set out a silver choker with emerald gems dangling from it freely, and a pair of matching ear rings and a bracelet. The dark haired woman eyed them warily.

"I've got to do your hair up, and get your make up on first." Sarah remained silent as Elda worked on her hair, fidgeting with the lace on her dress. "Don't worry yourself dear, he'd still think you were pretty even if you showed up in a burlap sack." Sarah blushed at her words, but smiled all the same.

Elda seemed to curl Sarah's hair by magic, pulling the mass of curls to rest upon the top of her head. She parted the girls hair to the right and used an emerald comb to go along the parted side to sit comfortably in place with the curls. Next Elda applied some smoky eye shadow and dark red lipstick. Sarah's lashes were so dark; there was hardly a need for mascara, but the maid insisted on going all out. After applying some eye liner, the last thing to do was put the jewelry on. Elda could see Sarah was uncomfortable accepting such luxury.

"Relax, His Majesty wouldn't have em' here if he didn't want yer' to be able to wear em'."

"I know," Sarah replied. "I just… I'm not used to it. I feel wrong, like I'm accepting a gift for someone else." Elda chuckled, saying no more as she put the necklace on for her.

With the jewels safely secured, Sarah slipped on matching emerald slippers and looked at herself in a full length mirror. She hardly recognized herself, looking like the most beautiful Victorian lady she had ever seen. Elda smiled, seeming pleased with her work.

"Now, now deary, no time to gawk, you'll be late for dinner." Sarah turned and smiled at the maid.

"Yes, thank you for everything," Sarah said turning, holding her skirts up as she walked from the room. Standing outside to escort her to the dining hall was again Sir Dydimus.

"My Lady, if I may say, you look absolutely ravishing in that gown."

"Thank you, I can hardly believe it myself," Sarah said, smiling warmly at her friend. She wondered briefly if she would get to see Ludo or Hoggle around any time soon.

Sarah and Sir Dydimus walked in comfortable silence, the darkened hallways looking completely different than in day time. Following the same procedure as breakfast, Dydimus opened the door allowing Sarah to enter before closing it behind her. The dining hall was lit only by candle light towards the head of the table from where Jareth came striding over to her. He too had dressed in an emerald green velvet over coat, much like the one he wore in the ballroom dream. He had on a ruffled black poet's shirt, black slacks and black boots, matching Sarah perfectly.

Jareth smiled to Sarah, bowing to her. Sarah returned the smile and curtsied as best she could in response. She had a strange feeling that Jareth had watched her make her selection so that he could purposely match her.

"You look beautiful Sarah," Jareth said, almost in a whisper. He didn't feel the word "beautiful" did her justice.

"Thank you," Sarah said, a light blush staining her cheeks. "You look wonderful." Her voice was so quiet that she wasn't sure that he heard her.

Jareth's only reply was to keep that devilish smile on his face as he led Sarah over to the table to seat her on the right side. Instead of sitting at the head of the table, he moved to sit opposite her. The food before them looked exquisite. There were meats of all kinds, salads, breads, vegetables, and fruits. Waiting for Sarah to serve herself, Jareth took some food for himself. After they had both settled comfortably into their meals, he spoke.

"So Sarah, how did you enjoy your first day?" Jareth watched as Sarah tried to compose herself through her meal, smiling inwardly that she was trying so hard to appear proper.

"It was wonderful, I had a really good time, and this dinner is excellent." Sarah found it odd how content she was to be sitting here, eating dinner with the Goblin King.

"That is good to hear, I'm glad your stay has been enjoyable thus far," Jareth replied. They both finished the meal in amiable silence. Once sure she was completed with eating, Jareth rose and pulled her seat out for her. "Come with me Sarah, there is something that I would like to show you." Taking his hand, Sarah smiled and held gently to his arm as he led her from the castle.

"Where are we going?" Sarah looked up questioningly to her escort as he took her back towards the garden.

"Patience my dear, you will see all in good time," Jareth replied gently. Sarah looked as though she was going to ask again, but they had already reached their destination. She couldn't help but stare open mouthed at the scene before her. The pond they had visited earlier was now completely alight with fire flies. The moon shined brightly over head, giving the pond surface a glassy appearance.

"Would you honor me with a dance?" Jareth held his hand out for her to take. Sarah smiled assuming they would dance around the decently sized pond.

"Of course," Sarah replied, taking his outstretched hand. The Goblin King smiled, music could be heard playing lightly from somewhere. They started to waltz, twirling around. Sarah had no idea where he was leading her, but she felt weightless. They locked eyes, seemingly unable to look away. When the song had ended, they stopped dancing and merely looked into each others eyes. Sarah thought for sure she should be able to feel the ground by now, but looking down, she saw that they were hovering over the lake. Her eyes widened and she threw her arms tightly around Jareth as though afraid she was going to fall in. Jareth chuckled lightly, holding her tightly.

"Now, now Sarah, do you really believe I'd let you fall?" Sarah took her shocked visage away from the pond below them, and back to Jareth. She could only imagine what they had looked like, dancing among the moonlight and fire flies, over a glowing lake. The water swirled and shifted to their every movement; how could she not have noticed? "You could have this every night, darling," Jareth whispered into her ear.

Sarah almost gasped as he brought his face closer to hers, but it was only to whisper in her ear. She relaxed her grip slightly and instead of clinging for dear life, held him in a hug.

"What must I give for you to stay with me?" Jareth had long since realized his feelings for her. It had all started out because that's what she wished of him, now, being parted from her; it was of his own accord. Certainly he had tried to deny it at first, but watching her over the past two years, he just couldn't leave her alone, the feelings refused to die.

"I thought I was the one who had to give something to stay?" Sarah was a bit confused now. Jareth had said he would ask something of her, should she decide to stay.

Smiling, Jareth rested his hand to the back of her head, and simply held her against him. He had longed to do this, but he would never let her know that. Sarah relaxed into his hold.

"I did say that didn't I," Jareth said referring to her last statement. "Not now, Sarah, on your third day, I will ask you."

"…but," Sarah had begun to protest, but he silenced her by shushing her and tightening his hold ever so slightly.

"Patience Sarah," Jareth whispered. Sarah involuntarily let out a yawn, she was growing tired. Smiling Jareth lifted her into his arms as though she were his bride and transported them to her room.

"I can still walk you know," Sarah said with mock anger, failing miserably at hiding her smile.

"Ah, but these are your three days to feel like royalty!" Jareth set her down at her vanity, and stepped back. "Get some rest, we have another eventful day tomorrow," he said. Leaning down, much like he had last night, and kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"Good night Jareth," Sarah said if all but a bit airily, earning another devilish smile from him.

"Sweetest of dreams to you, my dear Sarah," Jareth said before disappearing from the room.

Moments later, Elda appeared to help Sarah out of the dress. Returning her hair to normal, and unclasping the necklace for her, Elda left her to put her things away and get ready for bed. Putting the jewelry away and hanging her gown up, Sarah sighed. It had been a really good day. Going to the bathroom, she washed the makeup from her face and got into another night gown that was similar to the first.

With a yawn, Sarah crawled into bed with a smile, easily falling asleep. Meanwhile, Jareth paced his quarters. He watched through a crystal as Sarah fell asleep, his brow furrowed, stress etched across his features.

"I would say things went very well you're Majesty," Sir Dydimus said from the door.

"Don't you ever knock?" Jareth turned to look at the little fox being, un-amused.

"The Labyrinth wants a Queen," Dydimus replied almost dismally.

"Yes, its had enough single hand ruling from me, and if I can't make her love me, then there will be no one else," Jareth said stubbornly. He had his sights set on Sarah long ago, mortal or not, that could be repaired, and she could rule at his side always. After all, who better to rule at his side than the girl who had defeated the Labyrinth? This was only a small plus to the fact that he had indeed fallen in love with the girl.

"Maybe so, but the Labyrinth has a way of getting what it needs. If you can't convince Sarah, then it will find someone for you." Dydimus was serious, talking as though the Labyrinth were the true king trying to find a bride for its keeper. Jareth sighed, the knight was correct any how. If the spirit of the Labyrinth desired a Queen, then he had only two more days to convince Sarah to be his. If he was going to rule, he wanted a smart, capable, clever, Queen at his side, not some silly gaudy Fae. He wanted Sarah.

Author's Note:

Alright, so maybe Jareth is scheming a little, but wouldn't you rather rule with someone you love if you could manage it? No, he's not as much of a stubborn jerk as you all may have read him to be in other fics, and Sarah is not as stubborn or out spoken either. This fic is a lot mellower, but that doesn't mean that things still can't go wrong. I maintain the prerogative to a little evil in the writing of this story. As always thank you to have reviewed and please review and let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth; or any of the characters.

Chapter Four

Joker and the Thief

The next morning Sarah awoke to obnoxious giggling. Groaning and pulling the covers over her head, she thought it'd be nothing more than some silly little goblins that had found their way into her room.

"Go away," Sarah mumbled from under the covers.

"Go away? Go away!" Sarah was shocked at the squawky voice as the covers were ripped away from her head. "Perhaps it is you who should 'Go Away'!" The thing responsible for disturbing her was a goblin like creature; the only difference was that it was taller than most. Sarah scrambled off of her bed away from it.

"What are you?"

"What am I? What are you?" The goblin like creature chimed.

"Jare-!" Sarah was cut off in mid cry as the creatures knobby little hands covered her mouth.

"No, no, no little Queen!" The creature's voice was as squeaky as ever. "You don't want to get Joker in trouble, now do you?!" Sarah tried to wrestle the thing away from her face, but it was stronger than it looked. She was too busy trying to get away to realize what the little nuisance had called her to be able to protest. Biting down hard, the little creature howled in pain. "That was not good!"

Sarah made a run for it, getting ready to call out again only to be stopped by another Goblin like creature similar to the first. It used some sort of magic to silence her, no matter how she tried, no sound issued forth from her mouth. By this time, Joker had jumped on her to hold her down.

"Well Joker, you've certainly done a good job in harassing the poor girl." Sarah looked up in rage, still trying to no avail to free herself. She didn't have the time to be surprised by how human this one's voice sounded. "However are we to get her out of here quietly if you are causing her to have a fit?" Joker hissed in pain as Sarah kicked and punched. "No time to dawdle, good night sweet Queen." With a wave of the creatures hand Sarah felt her eyes grow uncontrollably heavy as she was forced into an uncomfortable slumber. "Come now you fool, the King is probably well aware of her distress by now…"

"Well aware indeed," Jareth's irate voice sounded from the door. Joker squealed in fright, quickly jumping away from Sarah, much to the thief's dismay. Before the two creatures could even speak Jareth was hurtling crystals at both Joker and the Thief; causing explosive spells to crash against them. When the smoke had cleared both invaders had gone. Thankfully, they had no time to grab Sarah as they made their get away, lest one of Jareth's spells blow their arms off should they have made an attempt.

Kneeling down beside her, Jareth sighed, furious that he had almost allowed something bad to happen to his Sarah. This would not happen again, he would be sure of it. Brushing the hair back away from her face, it didn't appear that they had managed to harm her, just rough her up. For that, Jareth would be sure that they payed dearly.

Picking Sarah up gently, and cradling her in his arms, Jareth transported them both to his room. Once there, he laid her upon his royal blue silken sheets. It would be awhile before she awoke, and he wasn't about to leave her for anything. Summoning Dydimus to his room, he had the knight prepare extra guards at every door.

Pacing the room, Jareth tried to figure out who would be after Sarah. He had never announced that he was looking for a queen to any of the other kingdoms. Perhaps it was just someone who wanted someone on the inside to over throw his rule. Who would do that? Jareth had never kept much contact with the other kingdoms, but there was never a need to, and he certainly couldn't recall making any enemies.

Thinking it over, maybe he should send her home, she would be safest there away from the influence of whoever was trying to get her. Jareth hardly had time to finish that thought as Sarah stirred. Sitting up quickly, she expected to have to defend herself. Her gaze softened considerably as she saw Jareth approaching her. She was so happy to see him; it almost made her want to cry.

"Jareth," Sarah said weakly, her voice slightly hoarse. Though she was unable to make noise under whatever charm the goblin creature had used, it had still put the strain on her vocal chords as though she had been able to produce screams.

"It's alright Sarah," Jareth said gently, closing the distance between them and sitting on the bed to take her into his arms. Leaning into him, Sarah wrapped her arms around him.

"I… I tried to call out… I was so afraid, so afraid that they were going to take me away!" Sarah's voice cracked as the stress from this morning events had finally crashed upon her. Jareth hushed her kindly, running his fingers through her hair in attempts to calm her. "You came… You came for me…" She finally gave in and let a few tears escape. She had never been in a situation such as that before. God only knew what she would have done if they had succeeded. Though she was clever, it frightened her terribly to be in a situation where she didn't know anything about her captors.

"Sarah, of course I came for you," Jareth said softly. Smiling, he lifted her chin so she would look him in the eyes. "I would never let anyone take you from me, not like that, not ever… not if you wished to stay…" His eyes showed relief as this had earned a small smile from her.

"Why were they after me?" Sarah's eyes went from pacified to confused.

"That is what I intend to find out, but I must go…"

"You're going to leave me?" Sarah's voice rose in panic, but Jareth only smiled that same devilish, arrogant smile at her.

"Not alone, I've had extra guards put on duty, and I will leave you in the care of your friends."

"…Hoggle, Ludo, and Dydimus…?"

"Yes, they will be here shortly. You may go wherever you wish so long as it is within the castle, but I couldn't imagine that you would want to be alone." Sarah seemed to accept this, and nodded. Two knocks sounded at the door. "There they are, I leave you now." Jareth was about to disappear but Sarah stood quickly, holding her hand out. He looked to her curiously as she leaned forward to hug him.

"Be careful, and come back safe." Jareth smirked, not cruelly, at her concern before returning the embrace.

"As you wish Sarah," Jareth said, leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead, disappearing in a cloud of glitter. With a sigh, Sarah lingered in the moment a second longer, before opening the door and smiling at her companions.

Sarah took in all of their smiling faces, it warmed her heart to know that they all came. Leaning down she hugged each one of them.

"How are ya, Sarah?" Hoggle was the first to speak as they entered the Kings room, looking wary at being in His Majesty's personal chambers. Sarah on the other hand seemed to think nothing of it.

"I'm alright, just had a bit of a scare that's all," Sarah lied. It had been more than a bit of a scare, but why make a big fuss of it now? After all, she had been saved, and was surrounded by faithful friends.

"My lady!" Dydimus was the next to cry out. "If I had been there, those, those scoundrels wouldn't have laid a-" Sarah cut him off by shushing him.

"I know sir Dydimus, I know."

"Sawa, alright?" Ludo's big, almost gargled voice was the next she heard.

"Yes, I'm just fine Ludo." Sarah smiled, but noticed Hoggle looking at her curiously. "What is it?" Hoggle blushed, seemingly embarrassed that he had been caught.

"I just, Sarah, you and the King seem ta be very friendly. After last time… What happened?" Sarah was shocked, she had not expected Hoggle to ask such a thing of her. Ludo seemed curious about this as well, but Dydimus knew exactly why the change had occurred. Jareth could no longer be stubborn and arrogant in Sarah's presence, as much as he could control it anyway. Dydimus had advised him several times that acting as though he was simply too good, was no way to win Sarah over. Finally, after two years, the Goblin King heeded his advice.

"He's… He's just been very nice to me. I've never known him to be so kind, and after all, he did not punish you three for helping me," Sarah said slowly, seemingly staring at nothing.

"So a few nice words here and there were enough to win you over?" Hoggle didn't seem to believe this, he was sure that Jareth was up to something more. Knowing otherwise, Dydimus cut in for Sarah.

"Why is it so wrong for one to turn over a better leaf for love? You mustn't doubt him now dear Lady. It has taken a lot from the King to change his ways, two years actually." Sarah stared at Dydimus as though he had just spoken in a different language that she could not understand.

"Why would he do that… Surely not just for me," Sarah said looking imploringly to her friend. Dydimus would say no more, and simply smiled for a moment. Ludo seemed content to just be there with them, while Hoggle still looked skeptical.

"Ah it seems we have missed breakfast, but I can have an early lunch brought up for you," Dydimus said before Hoggle could make anymore accusations. Dydimus did not blame the dwarf, he was only trying to protect Sarah from being hurt.

"That would be great, thank you Sir Dydimus," Sarah said with a smile. Dydimus bowed and made his way to the kitchen. Hoggle let the whole "Jareth Conspiracy" drop for now, just picking up in some idle chit chat. It had been awhile since they had all been able to be together like this. Minutes later Dydimus returned with some impressive looking sandwiches. After eating to their fill, the four friends continued to talk, occasionally going for a walk down the halls.

Sarah did not wish to return to her room, and was growing very anxious when Jareth had not returned by night fall. Her friends kept her company and mind from worrying too much. They continued their idle chatter late into the night. By the time they had caught up with everything that they had missed on the infrequent visits over two years, Sarah was tired.

"Get some sleep dear Lady," suggested Dydimus. "I can't imagine the King would mind you rest in here for the night, we shall keep watch at the door." Sarah smiled gratefully.

"Thanks guys. Are you sure you don't want to rest as well? You've been up with me all day," Sarah looked to them concerned as she sat on the end of Jareth's, too comfortable to believe, bed.

"We'll be alright Sarah," Hoggle said dismissively.

"Yea Sawa, we'll be alright," Ludo harped in.

"Well, alright, you if you get tired, I want you to get your rest."

"Alright my Lady," said Dydimus to pacify her; though he knew they would not be sleeping tonight.

Seeming to accept their answer, Sarah curled up in the covers. Everything smelled of Jareth. It was absolutely intoxicating. Holding his pillow tightly, Sarah allowed herself to be absorbed into it. If magic had a scent, surely this would be it! Sighing contentedly, Sarah had allowed herself to fall asleep surrounded in the Goblin Kings Aura.

~~*~*~*~*~*~*~~

They had been attacked. Jareth flying in his snowy white owl form was beaten and bloodied. They had Iron, a Fae's biggest weakness. He had been lucky to make it out of the court alive, many of the others there were a lot worse off, even left for dead. There was no doubting now who had come after Sarah. If his assumptions were correct, the opposing kingdom had already thought Sarah was his queen. The first meeting he attends after years of absence with the court, and they are all ambushed. Perhaps Sarah's attack was, if nothing else considering the two idiots had failed, an attempt to get all the powerful Fae together in one room. It had worked, and by the crowd, Jareth assumed that the others had seen characters similar to Joker and the thief.

It was hard to focus, too hard to focus. Jareth didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. Hopefully Sarah would still be in his room and able to summon a healer. If he could just make it to his balcony… he had to see Sarah, he _had to_… Any onlookers would have seen the large bird swerving and falling having to work harder to stay in the air.

Jareth was already flying over the Labyrinth, fueling his flight with thoughts of the beautiful girl that would greet him. Though he would not return unharmed, quite the opposite, he could at least fulfill her wish of returning to her. The balcony was visible now. He made his descent, crashing full on with a loud "_THUD_" against the hard marble, a bloody trail following to where he lay. No longer was the snowy white owl there, but the Goblin King crumpled and beaten in a heap at the doors. His only hope was that Sarah had heard him, the Iron working against him very quickly…

**Author's Note:**

Alrighty, well what just happened? Sarah's got a hit out on her, by whom? Well, well, well, you'll just have to read on now won't you? Just where the fack did Jareth get to anyway? That too shall be revealed all in good time. Thank you so much for everyone who has reviewed thus far, and as always PLEASE keep on reviewing to let me know what you think. Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Unveiling Huldra Folk

Sarah was an absolute mess, thinking over the events that had just occurred. Hearing a thud against the balcony doors of Jareth's room, she had hoped that it would be him and not another attacker. Throwing the balcony doors open, leaving them to flail back against the inside wall with abandon, she gasped. She could still feel her hands shaking as she moved quickly to fall to her knees by his side.

"Jareth!" Sarah had cried out, her voice shrill and panicky. She heard him whisper her name. Hearing her yell, Dydimus hurried in and took in the scene before him. With out a second glance, he quickly darted out of the room to get the healer, leaving a very confused Hoggle and Ludo in his wake.

"Jareth," Sarah called weakly knowing that he would not answer. Tears were falling down her face. He had several cuts and bruises, a slash across his cheek and a deep wound in his side. Looking over to the two that remained, she lost it. "Don't… Don't just stand there! Help me! Let's get him to the bed," she said taking on a more calm tone as Ludo rushed over, being larger and more capable of helping Sarah move the injured King than Hoggle was.

With a combined effort, Sarah and Ludo had laid Jareth gently on the bed.

"Dydimus already went for a healer, the best we have," Hoggle said, trying to bring some solace to the clearly stricken girl. Sarah did not answer, but sat dutifully at Jareth's bedside, her eyes never straying from his face. She searched his pale, pained visage, for any sign that he would come around. Dydimus returned with the healer who quickly grabbed Sarah needing to literally force her from the room. Pushed to her knees outside the door, Sarah looked back to see the healer slam the door behind her, dousing her in darkness.

Sarah had broken down in front of the door, and that was the state she remained in, as Jareth's bloody return kept replaying in her head. Hoggle and Ludo had wanted to comfort her, but Sarah proved inconsolable. She moved to sit with her back to the stone wall by the large doors. She had pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and hiding her face as she cried. She was so confused; she didn't think that Jareth would have gone anywhere that dangerous. _He can't die, he can't… I need him, I… I…_

Sarah didn't know how long she had sat there, it felt like a literal eternity before the doors burst open. Dydimus was thanking the healer, with the promise of great rewards. This must have meant that the healer had managed to save Jareth! Sarah stood quickly, almost falling over. The sun was rising, it was now the third day. She knew that she would have to make her decision by nightfall. In her heart, she already knew the answer. She had gotten no sleep since Jareth had returned, afraid of what she may have been waking up to.

Dydimus turned to Sarah, knowing it took all she had from shouting questions at him. He cut her to the quick, answering the questions he knew would be first and fore most on her buzzing, sleep deprived mind.

"The King will survive. He will need time to recover as the iron had poisoned him quite badly. The healer even had his doubts about the outcome." Sarah let Dydimus continue, hoping he would address the next question she was bursting to ask. "You may see him if you like, but I doubt he will come around any time soon."

"Thank you Sir Dydimus," Sarah croaked, bracing herself as she walked through the doors. The mirror opposite the large doors showed Sarah to be a fright. Looking as bad as Jareth probably felt at the moment. Her hair was a mess, her eyes red and puffy; icy, salty tracks on her cheeks from where her tears had fallen.

Dydimus closed the doors behind her, though Sarah knew he would stand guard there incase she needed him. With a sigh, Sarah made her way over to Jareth's bed, and sat on the edge looking down at him. His regally handsome face was still pallid, exhausted, mirroring Sarah's exhaustion. His shirt was ripped open down the middle, leaving full view of his bare chest, and the bandages wrapped around the deepest of the wounds in his side. The other cuts and bruises seemed to have been treated and healed perfectly, for there was no trace of the gash that had existed on the side of his face last night.

"Jareth," Sarah whispered lifting her hand to his cheek. It was almost enough to make her want to start balling again. _He's going to be alright, He's going to be alright._ Sarah repeated that mantra to calm herself. She had to see him for herself before she could believe Dydimus' words. Seeing him alive and breathing before her seemed to assure her enough, for she felt a wave of exhaustion barrel against her senses. She couldn't hold on any longer. Curling up to Jareth's side, careful not to touch him for fear of irritating his wounds, she fell asleep.

No one disturbed them, not even the healer, Dydimus made sure of that. They both needed their rest. Sarah would quickly worry and tire herself to illness. That would not do at all. Time passed slowly, it was late afternoon, and still Dydimus, very tired himself, stood guard.

Waking drowsily, the first thing Jareth noticed was the pain in his side, still stabbing at him. Gritting his teeth, he bit back a hiss of pain. Next, he noticed the sleeping girl beside him. Her long dark locks askew over her face, her cheeks were pink, hot, and salty from obvious crying. His heart melted at the sight. He knew the healer would have her out of the room while working, but he knew Sarah came back as soon as she could.

"Sarah?" Jareth said her name quietly as she began to stir. Opening her eyes slowly, Jareth could see that they were a little red. Finally, realizing what had happened, she looked at him. His heart could have stopped, fresh tears threatened to fall from her beautiful emerald orbs. She had never looked more beautiful to him; despite her state of disarray, she radiated beauty. The look, the emotion burning in her eyes to see that he had finally awoken; there was relief, exhaustion, question, and affection so deep, he was almost un-able to hold her gaze.

"Jareth?" Sarah's voice cracked as she continued to gaze at him. "Oh god, I thought… I was so worried," then frustration crossed her face. "D… don't you ever scare me like that again!" Her anger was short lived as a few tears trickled down her cheeks. With great effort, Jareth managed to sit up, but not with out the headboard of the bed for support. He opened his arms, beckoning Sarah to come to him, and she did. Thankfully, the wound that was still throbbing painfully was on the opposite side to which Sarah clung to him. She rested her head against his bare chest, arms looped around his shoulders.

Jareth wrapped his arms around her as tightly as the wound in his side would allow, resting his head to the top of her head.

"I'm sorry for worrying you Sarah, so very sorry." Jareth spoke quietly, stroking her hair gently. Sarah said nothing, simply holding onto him, as though afraid he would be gone the moment she let go. Finally, after seeming like forever, Sarah spoke.

"What happened," Sarah whispered. Jareth knew it was only a short matter of time before Sarah would want to know how he had ended up in this state.

"First Sarah I will tell you the nature of the creatures who sent those bumbling fools after you. You noticed they were dark, casting deformities among their own to pass them off as goblins who appeared only to be too tall. The Huldra Folk or "Hidden People" are Dark Elves." With Sarah's silence, he continued. "They have been hidden among the mountains for a long time; they never wanted anything to do with the other kingdoms. When you were attacked, you were not the only one. They sent many of the creatures that had attacked you to the other kingdoms in hopes at the very least to cause enough of a fuss to make the other heads of kingdoms to come together in question.

"Needless to say, their plan worked. With all the lead Fae in one building, they used iron, a poison to me and others of my like, and attacked. I had been sucked into their trap. Apparently with their years of hiding in the mountains, they were plotting to bring total anarchy to the Underground." Sarah understood, having hoped that it wasn't her fault alone that Jareth had been hurt so badly.

"So what do we do now?" Sarah was confused and concerned.

"The court will not call another meeting for awhile; it would be unwise with the Dark Elves watching everything." Jareth spoke thoughtfully. "I assume allies will form and attempt to fight back. As far as we know, the Dark Elves have no allies, and their kingdom is not very large.

"They are supposed to be very, very clever, but I don't know what they could have been thinking attacking twenty plus different kingdoms at the same time. Depending on how well the other kingdoms hold up, my kingdom may not even need to see battle. It will depend mainly on who the Dark Elves go after. We will not attack until they send a representative explaining their actions. Though they may not, as I assume, they are trying to over throw the system that had first gotten them banned to the mountains."

"Why were they banned," Sarah questioned, not really knowing much about them.

"Sometimes Dark Elves are benevolent, but not this clan. They were loud, aggressive, despised order, naturally a bad thing in a land that has a court of kingdom leaders, kings, ladies and what have you to meet. They were nothing but trouble, so the High Ruler of the court banished them…" Jareth conveniently left out, just how he was connected to the High Ruler who had banned the dangerous group.

Sarah gave a curt nod in understanding, Jareth feeling the movement against him. Exhaling deeply, he stopped the soothing motions of flattening her hair, and simply let his hand rest against her head, holding her to him. Closing her eyes, Sarah sighed in contentment, his steady heartbeat almost lulling her back to sleep.

"Jareth?" Sarah's voice was unusually quiet and gentle.

"Yes," Jareth replied just as softly.

"I need to tell you something, but there is something I have to ask you first." Sarah was nervous now, trying to remain composed, the way he answered this question would decide it all.

"Anything," he said airily.

"It is the third day, and the time will soon come for me to make my decision." Sarah could feel him take a short breath. "I need to know this isn't just because… you want some queen, that you… that you actually…"

"Sarah," Jareth whispered cutting her off. "I've not been able to keep away from you, and only did so in the beginning because you had to get through the Labyrinth. You were everything I wanted, smart, clever, a fiery spirit that not even my cold arrogance could smack down. I had truly met my match.

"I offered this to you because I would have no one else. I want no ordinary pretty face to sit at my side; I wanted someone whom I could rule and could also rule me." Jareth paused, a thick feeling at his throat. He wanted so badly to admit that he loved her, and that had truly sealed her place at his side. Finally he said it, though putting it in the cover of other words. "I've come to love you far too much to let you get away…"

Sarah gasped, had he really just said that? Never in a million years would she have thought that it would turn out this way. Perhaps his potentially fatal position had given him the strength to admit to her his deeper feelings for her. She would be surprised how correct she was with that thought. Warmth spread through her, and though she could always feel it, now that she was aware of his love, it seemed to magnify within her. Her emerald orbs were positively glowing with a serene happiness as she looked into his eyes.

"I've always loved you Jareth," Sarah admitted quietly. With out a chance to pull away or say any more, Jareth had leaned forward to give her the most passionate kiss she had ever experienced. Her cheeks were aflame as she kissed him back, she was not the most experienced, but knew how to return a kiss. She tried to match the fire he put into the kiss, wishing to make him realize just how much she cared for him.

"You must say if you wish to stay Sarah, and you must mean it," Jareth said against her lips. The sun was beginning to set. Had they really been talking that long? Sarah was confused at first, but knew that she needed to announce it aloud to the Labyrinth that she would stay.

"I wish to stay here, with you Jareth…" No sooner had the words left her lips that the sun sank completely from out of sight. It was done, it was through; Sarah had left her family and life in the aboveground behind with eight simple words. She couldn't believe it, Jareth had truly returned her feelings, and not because that is what she wished. She knew that she couldn't leave him wounded like this either way.

Jareth had had many Fae women profess their undying love for him, but not one of them had meant it. The fact that he had the most beautiful, intelligent, passionate woman, no Queen, at his side, that truly loved him despite his cold, arrogant nature towards the outside world, melted away the last icy wall that had existed between them. He had once sworn to never get that close to anyone; that it would only end badly. The only question left was that of Sarah's mortality, would the Labyrinth turn it's Queen immortal? If not, Jareth knew that there were other ways.

Nothing more was said between them. Sarah wanted nothing more than to ignore the possibility of on coming trouble with the Dark Elves, or of the life she had so easily abandoned and the people that existed in it, and to stay wrapped in Jareth's arms. Surely if there was a confrontation they had to be involved in, Jareth would leave her to go and fight, she could only hope the other kingdoms would act or as selfish as this thought was, be attacked first.

Who knew if the Dark Elves were even going to start attacking, maybe they had something else in mind, but what?

Sarah didn't have much time to dwell on the thought as a knock sounded at the door.

"Enter," Jareth drawled on, as if bored by the interruption of their intimacy. Sarah attempted to move away from Jareth, not wanting to feel like she had just been caught making out with her boyfriend in her room. Jareth seemed to have another thought in mind, and simply held tightly to her. She could already see the facade forming, and knew that it wasn't very likely that anyone else would ever see him the way she had. That was something that she was willing to deal with, just so long as he did not go over board.

Opening the door was a short Goblin maid carrying a small dinner for the two of them. Looking closer, Sarah could see that it was Elda.

"My lady, your Highness, you've been cooped up here all day, and I thought you might like some food." Sarah smiled gratefully towards the old maid. Jareth remained impassive as Elda brought the tray of food over and set it before them. "I'll leave you to your own then," Elda said.

"Thank you!" Sarah called after Elda as she shut the doors behind her.

What lay on the tray was steaming vegetables and a white meat Sarah identified as chicken. There was also a side of some sort of noodles which were quite good. Sitting beside each other on the bed, Sarah cross legged, they ate in silence. Talking about the confession of love that had just occurred and the possibility of new enemies were not things that got discussed over dinner. Once they had both finished, Jareth made the trays, food and whatever paraphernalia that was left over disappear.

Jareth looked troubled as he gazed out the glass doors to his balcony. This did no go unnoticed by Sarah, who reached over and gently took a hold of his hand.

"Jareth," Sarah began slowly. "What's the matter?" Jareth's cold demeanor brought on by the appearance of the maid disappeared quickly at the sound of Sarah's voice. With a sigh, he turned to her offering a smile that could only come off as cynical.

"These past events have me worried, I'm afraid I may to be in and out to help find a solution to this problem."

"Can't I just go…" Jareth cut her to the quick.

"Go with me?" Jareth looked almost as if he would shout at her for even suggesting such a thing. "Sarah, I've just got you, I'm not about to lose you! Especially not for some battle that could be easily enough won with out-"

"…Easily enough so that you are worried you may have to act? Just how did they get un-banned anyway?" Sarah was quick to jump to that, she hated to be left behind, but the thought hit her. She didn't know much about fighting, and within the time they had to know whether or not they were needed wasn't enough for Jareth to teach her properly. She would most likely just get in the way.

"I am only trying to think of everything," Jareth said, surprising Sarah by maintaining his temper. "I just want you to be where I know you are safe. As for why they were able to break the enchantments keeping them at bay, it could be because they are many years old, and they've had time to break though them…" He turned to face her, a pained look on his face as if the movement had hurt him. Before Sarah could protest that he lay down, he cupped her cheek in his hand. "Please Sarah," his voice was so soft and gentle, it made her resolve buckle.

"I just… I don't want to wake up to you bloodied and half dead… I was so afraid this time, and I just can't… I… I can't be with out you now." It was true Sarah could not see herself in this giant castle ruling over the Goblins alone, even if her friends would be at her side. What about when children got wished away? She didn't know what she would do.

"That won't happen again," Sarah raised her eye brows about to protest. "We will be prepared this time, no more pre-emptive strikes from the Dark Elves…" This didn't pacify her as she still looked worried. Tracing her cheek with his thumb he leaned forward and kissed her, this one being gentler than the first they had shared.

Looking into his mismatched eyes, she knew she had lost this argument. Her resolve to not be left behind shattered, he couldn't just leave the castle un-attended, and she would do much better here. "You won't have anything to worry about; whomever else is involved will keep the Dark Elves at bay away from the other kingdoms. The goblins really aren't that hard to govern," Jareth said as if he were reading her mind.

"Alright, alright," Sarah said defeated, temporarily forgetting of wished away children. "I will stay here, in safety to look over the castle." Jareth gave the closest thing to an honest smile she had seen all day, but it was etched in pain as the wound in his side throbbed again. "You need to get some rest, I should probably…"

"Stay right here with me," Jareth said arrogantly, but not so in a way that made her angry.

"You want me to stay?" Sarah was a bit confused.

"You are my future Queen, we will have your coronation as soon as I am well enough. It's a wedding of sorts to your kind." Sarah nodded, and then a thought hit her.

"Jareth, I'm mortal, what happens when I-" Jareth would not hear this, he cut her off.

"Sarah there are ways to make mortals into immortals. You needn't worry yourself with it now." Sarah gave a curt nod, relieved at that bit of news.

"I'm just going to wash up a bit," Sarah said taking the initiative and kissing him on the cheek. Jareth smirked, she was still shy about making the first move; he would have to find a way to quickly remedy that.

"There's a bathroom through that door," Jareth said pointing to a door beside the mirror Sarah had seen her disheveled appearance in, watching as she walked in.

Once she had washed her face and readied herself for sleep, Sarah exited the bathroom to see that Jareth had reclined himself to lying among the pillows. Crawling into the bed, she was surprised at the strength at which Jareth pulled her to him. He closed his eyes, simply holding onto her tightly. It took Sarah a moment, but she lay down, resting her head upon his bare chest again. She found it odd how comfortable this was, and felt her cheeks burn for feeling so childish.

Letting her mind rest, she only let one thought pacify her; the fact that she was in the arms of a man whom loved her and whom she loved in return. Sarah found sleep had come easier than she thought it would.

**Author's Note:**

Well, what did you think? I had to rewrite the confessing of love part, and a few other parts as well. I was trying not to distort them too terribly out of character. Sarah has decided to stay and I didn't kill Jareth (as if I would, goodness, I'm not that evil). They can be in love and happy, at least, until I decide to make something else happen. Don't worry this fic is not over. Longest chapter yet actually. Thank you to those whom have reviewed thus far! Please, PLEASE keep that motivational gold of reviewing going and let me know what you think. Please forgive any errors that slip my eye.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth, or sadly still, any of the characters.

Chapter Six

Successor of Fate

Over the next week or so, Jareth had made a full recovery. Sarah had not left his side for much less than freshening up. After the first few days, Jareth was allowed to get up and move around a little, mainly to accompany Sarah for meals. They had bonded even further over that week, Sarah talking endlessly in attempts to keep him entertained, revealing a lot more about herself. On the other hand, she had picked up on Jareth's movements, easily discerning when he was withdrawing into his cold self around others. Despite this, he was always warm to her, though not as blatantly as if they were alone.

Stubbornly, Jareth waited for the healer to say it was okay to go about normal business. Once cleared, Jareth announced Sarah's coronation for the next day. They would be bound in her mortal ideal of marriage, and also as rulers of the Goblin Kingdom. Though it was not the most glamorous title to withhold, Sarah had never complained or wished that her status was more elegant.

Jareth explained to Sarah of all the duties entailed with being Queen, and that she would learn how to harness her inner magical power that he had first gifted her with. He informed her that it had slowly been building within her during her stay in the Underground. He assured her that she had nothing to worry about, that she would pick it all up in good time.

It was the night before she would be Queen. Sarah paced her room nervously. With out Jareth or any of her friends to calm her nerves, she was a wreck. She hated to think of not being good enough and disappointing him. What if she wasn't right for this? Elda had come in earlier, helping to distract from the upcoming event by having Sarah pick out a gown. The dress they had agreed would be best was a white gown. It had a v-cut down the front and back. The mesh, lace sleeves belled out at the ends with delicate beaded embroidery of floral patters, matching that of the intricate designs along the bodice of the dress which cut open in the front to reveal under skirts of the same mesh lace as the sleeves.

Elda set aside long, dangling, vine like earrings with diamond shaped roses hanging from the end. A matching necklace and bracelet of the same fashion were set out as well. There was a beautiful silver tiara that would be bestowed upon her, that matched perfectly to the jewelry Elda had chosen.

With that decided and trusting Elda to do something with her hair in the morning, Sarah had bathed and prepared for bed, worrying over what was to come.

Sarah would sleep by herself tonight, explaining to Jareth that it was an Aboveground tradition that the groom should not see the bride the night before the wedding. Though he thought it silly, he played along to pacify her fears of "bad luck".

Deciding that she really should get some rest, Sarah crawled under the covers and attempted to sleep. She tossed and turned; Joker, the thief, and images of Jareth battered and bloodied all plaguing her dreams. She woke up several times in a cold sweat. Tomorrow was supposed to be one of the happiest days of her life, why was this night so terrible?

Before Sarah knew it, it was late afternoon and Elda came bustling in and throwing the blinds open. Groaning, Sarah knew she had to get up, but the rest of the night had been no better.

"Morning, er afternoon Elda," Sarah said dragging herself from her bed.

"Goodness child, you look like you've been wrestling with your covers all night, no wonder you slept in. Well, no matter, go freshen up and we'll have you looking good as new." Sarah smiled at Elda's encouragement and went into her bathroom to wash her face and ready herself for the day.

Feeling a little refreshed, Sarah exited the restroom and moved to put the white gown on. There were several silken buttons going up the back of the dress that Elda needed to assist Sarah with. The dress had a slight train, and matching silken slippers with the same embroidery on them as the bodice of the dress.

Elda brushed out Sarah's hair making it straight before curling her long, dark locks in loose curls. Next, Elda applied makeup, a little foundation to hide the dark circles under Sarah's eyes. It was like magic how well it concealed them. She gave her the works with eye liner, and shimmering, glittering, silver eye shadow. For her lips, Elda applied a shining light pink lipstick.

Finally, Sarah put on the matching jewelry noticing that the tiara was already gone.

"Come here deary, take a look at yourself," Elda said brightly, her voice reminding Sarah of her grandmothers. Standing, Sarah moved to the full length mirror that was attached to the inside of the door of the wardrobe. She gasped. Again with Elda's help, Sarah could hardly recognize the beautiful reflection she was staring at.

"Thank you so much Elda," Sarah said.

"Not at all, any service for you, my future Queen," Elda said proudly. Sarah smiled and there was a knock at the door. "Don't be nervous now deary, you look worthy of a goddess." Just then another impatient knock sounded at the door. Expecting Dydimus, Sarah opened the door with a smile. To her disappointment it was two tall, armored knights, like those you see lining castle walls. They were silent, all but for the clinking of their armor. They bowed to her and turned, waiting for her to follow.

Sarah passed one final look to Elda and followed the two dark knights out. Their armor was dark, almost black contrasting greatly to the white gown. She kept her gaze averted to the ground as the Knights led her to an un-familiar place. Jareth had told her that the coronation would take place in the throne room. The only one that Sarah knew about was the one that all the Goblins had infested.

After a few minutes, the guards stopped at two large metal doors. The doors reflected everything around them almost like a grey scaled mirror. Making identical movements the guards thrust the doors open leaving them to make a loud banging sound on the inside wall. A bright light emanated from the room, everything was marble. There were several regally dressed people lining the aisle way that Sarah did not recognize. The guards lifted opposite hands, gesturing down the deep red carpet the way that Sarah was to walk down.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah held her head up high and began walking. There were extravagant silver and gold wall hangings, golden candelabras hanging from the wall; all matching the deep plush carpet that ran along the center of the aisle way. The rest of the floor was made of white marble.

Towards the end of the long aisle way stood Jareth, who offered Sarah his arm to escort her the rest of the way down He was also in white, matching Sarah with a silken, white over coat and poet's shirt. Taking his arm, she walked in step at his side. He remained impassive, but a sense of pride seemed to radiate from his features. Directly at the end of the aisle stood an overly dressed Fae, a large golden crown upon his head, and elegant silken robes of crimson. He was elderly with a long beard and a benign face.

Once they reached him, Jareth released Sarah to stand before the leader who presided over the Seelie Court. Moving off to the side, Jareth put his arms behind his back, anxious to have Sarah become his Queen. The elderly Fae smiled slightly at Sarah, holding an opened golden gilded black book. It didn't appear that he needed to read from it to know what to say.

"Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the people of this Kingdom of the Underground, and the dominions thereto belonging, according to the statutes in Seelie Court regulation agreed on, and the laws and customs of the same?" Sarah and Jareth had gone over what she should say, but somehow the pressure of the moment almost made her forget her simple response.

"I solemnly promise so to do," Sarah replied, un- able to look away. The eyes of all the elegant Fae rested on her as though she had rainbow colored hair and a clown nose on.

"Will you to your power cause law and justice in mercy to be executed in all your judgments?"

"I will," Sarah said, keeping her shaking hands down at her sides.

"Will you promise to remain a loyal, truthful, trustworthy, comforting, guiding and above all else loving companion to your King, in all his times of need?"

"All this I promise to do," Sarah said.

"Step forward Jareth, King of the Goblins," The old Fae said, his voice echoing off of the marble walls.

"Do you promise to remain a loyal, truthful, trustworthy, comforting, guiding and above all else loving companion to your Queen, in all her times of need?"

"All this I promise to do," Jareth replied gently, his eyes never leaving Sarah's face.

"Then by the power of the Seelie Court and all whom dwell under it's regulation, I now bind two lost souls come together in love, caring, honor, and joy to rule over the Goblin Kingdom." The elderly Fae closed the book, making it disappear in a cloud of glitter to be replaced by Sarah's tiara. "Please kneel Lady Sarah." She did so using Jareth's arm to lower herself. Once balanced on her knees, Sarah looked up to the elderly Fae who was now holding her tiara, no her crown, above her head. "With this crown, I bestow upon you all of the duties you have promised to up hold as not only a Queen, but a wife." Lowering the crown upon her head, the Fae lifted his hands in an open gesture. "Rise and be recognized as a Queen!"

Jareth again offered Sarah his arm, helping her stand before the crowd broke out into applause and cheers. Sarah couldn't help but smile brightly, as Jareth led her back down the aisle way, the elegant Fae all following behind. With getting Sarah ready and the length of the coronation, the sun was beginning to set, leaving a fiery orange and yellow line along the tree line.

They arrived next in the dining hall which comfortably seated all whom attended. There was a grand feast with foods and drinks of all kinds. The table was decorated in a silver clothe, and all of the best silver ware, dishes, and glasses were used. Many came up after the meal to congratulate two. Jareth would explain to Sarah who they were before the next group couple came up. It was a departure line, for everyone who was there waited to leave their good cheer to the new couple. The last two to leave were apparently old friends of Jareth's.

The man was tall and dark haired, wrapped in silken blue robes with pointed ears. Sarah recognized his friendly seeming face as one of the Light Elves. He gave a respectful bow to both of them.

"Feyore," Jareth said coolly. "It is good to see you again."

"I can say the same."

"Eve, a pleasure as always," Jareth said nodding to her respectfully.

"So, this is your Sarah?" Eve smiled kindly to the new Queen, and gave a small bow. "May I borrow her for just a minute?" Jareth seemed a bit uneasy with this idea, but did not protest, simply keeping a conversation with Feyore.

"It's nice to meet you," Sarah said, trying to be kind.

"Thank you," Eve said, still smiling. "Jareth wasn't lying when he told us you were a sweet girl." She chuckled at Sarah's confused face, she didn't know when Jareth would have told them about her. "Why at the last Seelie Court gathering dear child. I'm sure you know Jareth's attitude towards other people, but he couldn't help but tell us a little about you."

"Oh, thank you," Sarah said, flattered that Jareth had even bothered to mention her to anyone else.

"Don't be silly dear, he told us all. You know about the unfortunate attack. Did you know it was Jareth's father who was the High Ruler of the court when the Dark Elves were banished?" Eve's eyes glittered, but seemed to dull when Sarah's confused look did not dissipate. "I'm sorry, it was not my place to-"

"No, no," Sarah cut in quickly. "It's alright, I'm glad you told me."

"Though Jareth had nothing to do with banning them, the Dark Elves have decided to bring their revenge down the generation. Quite an inheritance, wouldn't you say?" Eve was trying to lighten the mood with that last line, but it had not worked. Sarah now only looked worried.

"Thank you for telling me this, does Jareth, realize this?"

"I'm sure he knows, Feyore went to offer our help should the two of you need it. It's been years and we do not know what new tricks the Dark Elves have learned."

"Eve, come, it is time to take our leave." Feyore's voice sounded out of no where bringing the two women out of their chat.

"Well nice meeting you Queen Sarah," Eve said turning and following her husband out before Sarah had a chance to reply. Left in their wake, Sarah turned to Jareth.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jareth sighed, his cold demeanor fleeing with the departure of the Light Elves. He moved forward to pull Sarah to him, she thought of resisting, but just didn't have the heart to pull away from him.

"I planned on telling you everything after the feast…"

"If I was to be your Queen why didn't you confide in me earlier…"

"I'm sorry Sarah; it's a hard subject for me to bring up. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course, I just… I just wish I would have heard it from you," Sarah said dejectedly. Jareth ran his fingers through her hair, the curls were quite resilient bouncing right back as he straightened them.

"I promise to never with hold something important like that from you again."

"You better not with hold anything from me!" Sarah looked up, matching his gaze stubbornly. Jareth chuckled at her fire.

"Alright, alright, never again dearest." Sarah nodded, seeming pacified by this. It had been a long after noon, and even though she had slept in quite late, she couldn't help but feel exhausted. The dinner had taken another few hours with all the chatting Fae, during which time the sun completely set going well into the early hours of the night.

"When will I start to use magic?" Sarah questioned, holding gently to Jareth's arm as they made their way to his bed room. "…and why have I never seen that room before?" Jareth smiled leaning down to kiss his Queen. Smiling, Sarah kissed him back.

"One thing at a time love, there will be time to discuss in the morning," Jareth said. Once they reached his room, Jareth picked Sarah up and laid her upon the bed. With a devilish smirk, he kissed her fiercely. Sarah was too wrapped up in the moment of all that had happened to be embarrassed. Things soon got too hot and steamy for innocent ears as they consummated their new found bond of King and Queen, Husband and Wife.

**Author's Note:**

Ha-ha, sorry, no Lemon; I'm trying to keep it teen here come on now. So it seems Jareth and Sarah have at least one night to themselves before having to worry about the vengeance of the not so nice at all Dark Elves. What will happen, what will they do? You'll have to keep on reading to find out. Thank you so much to all those who have reviewed! Please, please, please, keep on reviewing to let me know what you think. Also, please forgive any errors that slip my eye.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth, or any of the characters.

Chapter Seven

Premonition of the Devil's Requiem

Sarah awoke the next afternoon to find that Jareth was gone. Sitting up, she held the blanket to cover her nude self. With a blush, she remembered the events of last night, and a small smile crept to her face. She felt like a real woman. She chuckled to herself, at how cliché it all was. A knock sounded at the door causing her to jump.

"My Queen, it's Elda, can I come in?" Sarah sighed in unimaginable relief. She had no idea what she would have done if it had been anyone else. It's not as though she was ashamed of her actions, but it was embarrassing to be caught nude.

"Yes, please come in Elda," Sarah said hoping that she would have a robe, or some clothes.

"Afternoon my lady," Elda said, bringing clean under garments and a dark blue dress. The dress had spaghetti straps and cut in a v-shape down the front. The dress would fall just below her knees, to sway when she moved. In the bundle in Elda's arms was a pair of matching slippers. Sarah was relieved to know that she had thought of everything, even a hairbrush!

"Thank you so much Elda, I would have had quite a problem if you hadn't shown up."

"Not at all my Queen… His Highness had some matters that needed attending to and sends his apologies for leaving you. He asks that you be ready to join him for lunch shortly."

"Thanks Elda," Sarah replied, not used to having people wait on her. She thought of Elda as a matronly figure to help her with things in the stead of a mother. A pang shot through her as she remembered her family above. Through all the excitement it was easy to not think about it, but she missed them dearly. She would need to speak to Jareth about visiting.

"I'll take my leave now," Elda said, bowing quickly before leaving the new Queen to change. With a sigh, Sarah got out of bed and went through the door leading to Jareth's bathroom. His room was larger than hers by far, and so was his bed. The floors were made of black marble, with silver wall hangings everywhere. His sheets were silken dark blue upon his bed, which sat upon black marble stairs the way Sarah's did. There were also black wardrobes and dressers with a single black gilded mirror across from the two wooden doors.

Sarah expected Jareth knew she would bathe, for among all his musty male scented soaps was a lonely lavender. Once done with her bath, Sarah dressed. The cloth of the dress was smooth against her skin and hung just the right way from her curves. Brushing through her hair, it was slightly damp as she slid the slippers onto her feet.

Making her way down the familiar hallways to the dining room, Sarah was positively beaming at everyone she came in contact with. Walking into the room, Jareth was already seated and waiting for her. He was smirking at her as she came to sit across from him.

"My, my dearest Sarah, you are aglow." Jareth continued to grin, as Sarah failed miserably at pouting convincingly. "Today I will start to show how to use your powers." This brought a smile back to her face.

"What about me being mortal?" Sarah was concerned; she didn't want to lose any time with him just because of her frail human body.

"The magic has been building up inside of you. Every mortal who visits the Underground has some magic build within them during their stay. As you know I've already gifted you with certain powers. They are usually not here long enough to be able to harness their powers, but the first time you use your magic of your own accord is when the change begins. You will become immortal long before you master your own magical ability," Jareth explained. "However, if you leave the Underground before the change occurs, you will lose your powers and be stuck in between." He almost laughed at Sarah's confused, slightly frightened face. "I know it's strange, but if you leave before you have completed the change you will far outlive all of your family and friends. You will age, just much more slowly, so much so that when the people your age turn old and gray, you will still only be reaching your thirties."

Sarah nodded. It's not as though she planned on leaving the underground any time soon. Maybe one day to go and check on Toby, her father, and Irene even.

They started by having Sarah try her hand at conjuring crystals. It amused Jareth to no end to see how frustrated she got. When she was finally able to create one, it was pearly white on the inside as opposed to clear like Jareth's.

"What does this mean, did I do it wrong?" Sarah was highly confused.

"No, not at all, it just means that your powers lie in foresight and healing. You can learn to do any specialty, but for the first month or so you will only be able to successfully conjure healing crystals. As far as psychic, that will develop as we strengthen your power." Jareth looked almost troubled.

"What is it?" Sarah titled her head to the side, still holding her crystal.

"The power of foresight is one of the hardest to master, it has driven many mad with what they have seen. Especially since most times what the seer has fore told either by purposely or accidentally delving into the spirit world cannot be changed."

"I don't want to know the future!" Sarah looked panicked, dropping the crystal. It smashed in a brilliant white light against the hard stone floor of the not so glamorous throne room. Remnants of chickens and Goblin were everywhere. Jareth sighed and went forward to embrace her.

"It will be alright, you will learn to control when you do or don't want to see what's coming." Jareth released her. "Now come, let us see some more conjuring." Sarah nodded and composed herself.

From that day on Jareth made Sarah practice every other day so as not to tire her out. As the days progressed, she began seeing very odd images in her dreams. Eventually the visions began plaguing her waking consciousness. When she told Jareth about them, he explained that it would happen for awhile, and eventually she would be able to sense it coming on and block them.

Almost a month had passed and Sarah was still unable to completely block the visions. They were becoming more formed and seemed to fit together as one whole vision that simply came in pieces. It was like watching separate parts of a movie, that only made sense once you had seen them all. She became quite adept at summoning healing crystals of varying degrees depending on how much energy she put into them.

Before Jareth would teach her about any other element, he taught Sarah the beginning method to transporting places. Her first three weeks of attempts only succeeded in having her image flicker for a moment, and then return causing glitter rainstorms where she stood. She got frustrated after hours upon hours of trying to master healing and transporting all the while fighting off the images that tried to make themselves known in her mind at the most inappropriate times. Jareth would pacify her, and allow her to take a break, before having her try again.

Finally, after a month and a half, Sarah had been able to successfully transport wherever she wished within a certain distance. She also created many new healing crystals that cured poisons, cuts, deep wounds, ect…

"I can't believe it's taken me this long," Sarah said frustrated after another long day of training with Jareth. He merely smirked at her and shook his head.

"You're doing very well; even the most skilled of Fae had to start somewhere. Also, tomorrow your transformation will be complete."

"I don't feel any different," Sarah said stubbornly. Jareth laughed at this.

"You'll notice small changes, trust me, but for now we should get some rest." Sarah agreed to this and followed Jareth to his room which they now shared. He used magic to transport all of her belongings into his room, and they fit in quite nicely with everything else, giving the empty walls a full feeling.

Jareth had been disappearing a lot lately, and Sarah could only imagine that it was because of the impending threat of the Dark Elves. She often found herself missing his presence. He told her very little, only that a battle was eminent between the two and thank god for Feyore's support.

Sarah had not been as concerned about the fight as perhaps she should have been. It was well past the date since she finished her transformation and her powers were progressing nicely. She was even able to block the visions almost completely.

It was night, and Sarah lay beside Jareth. Whatever he was disappearing to do took a lot out of him, and he was fast asleep, a lazy arm wrapped around her. With a sigh, she snuggled closer to him and fell asleep to one of the most horrifying visions she would have. It was so powerful, she couldn't block it. It was always harder to block the visions when she was asleep. She never dreamed once the visions started, and so when she did, it meant she failed to block the premonition.

_It was dark out, very dark. There were bodies everywhere as though it were some sick gore scene. "The battle," Sarah whispered. There was a flash of lightening and Sarah could see in detail for one fleeting second all of the Goblins and the Light Elves mixed with corpses of beings she had never seen before. "Huldrafolk," she said referring to the unknown beings as the "hidden people". _

_Sarah walked through the blood, bodies, weapons, and mud. She appeared to be a specter in her white flowing robes and glowing aura as she made her way through the dark. There were distant sounds of yells and metal clashing upon metal. In a rush the sounds were all around her, clanging loudly as transparent figures fought in her wake. It was like the battle was reliving itself as she passed._

_The noise was deafening with cries of agony, and despite the chaos, Sarah was completely calm. She reached a cliff, the open field now a light with glowing figures fighting each other. She stood at the edge and watched. In the distance she could see a forest at the edge of the field, was that the firey's forest? She couldn't tell as the battle raged on around her. She thought she may be invisible until a large Dark Elf came charging through the calamity. It bore a large iron blade in one hand, aiming straight for her. _

_Sarah did not scream, she couldn't even move, she knew she should be terrified. It wasn't until Jareth appeared in front of her that she realized the danger of the situation at hand._

"_Jareth…" Sarah uttered his name as a whisper. He did not turn to answer her, but instead drew a blade of silver, getting into a fighting stance. Sarah couldn't figure out why he didn't use his magic against the Dark Elf. It was truly a nasty sight. Its skin was twisted and tight against the scalp, appearing almost skeletal. It wore a black tattered cloak, and upon its skull were long twisted horns. It looked like a mix of death and the devil._

_A song, sounding almost like a requiem echoed around, played by an organ that was no where in sight. The Dark Elf plowed forward towards Jareth. Sarah was beginning to panic._

"_Jareth move, please move! We can run! Please, PLEASE!" Sarah's voice was shrill as she grabbed Jareth's arm to try and move him as tears started rolling down her cheeks. Finally he turned to look at her as though the beast was not approaching._

"_Dearest Sarah, I love you more than you can imagine…I cannot allow you to be harmed. Please," Jareth's voice was so gentle, loving, "do not cry. I will protect you." With that he turned, and faced the beast full on._

"_No! Jareth!" Sarah cried out as the Dark Elf ran him through the chest with the Iron blade. Jareth did not even make a move to defend himself or get out of the way, it was as if his sole purpose was to be hit. Sarah gazed mouth agape as the fiend withdrew the blade. Jareth seemed to fall in slow motion, finally crumbling in a heap the monster's feet. The dark elf looked to Sarah, glowing red eyes that seemed to be laughing at her as it brandished it's blade in victory and turned leaving her in its wake._

_Sarah fell to her knees by Jareth, he did not move, his eyes glazed over as he stared unseeing at the dark grey sky above them. Sarah couldn't conjure any healing spells, she couldn't do anything. Her voice had seemed to disappear as she watched the scene before her, but it came rushing from her throat as she threw her head back and screamed._

"_Sarah!"_

"Sarah!" Jareth was sitting up, shaking her awake. Sarah sat up and flung her arms around him, sobbing. He was surprised to say the least, but wrapped his arms around her. "Sarah, Sarah, what did you see?" His voice was soft and gentle as he ran his fingers through her hair. He couldn't understand what had frightened her so badly.

"No," Sarah's voice cracked. She could hardly speak, she merely clung to Jareth shaking as she sobbed out the only word she could. "No!" He knew under certain circumstances visions could be particularly strong; especially ones depicting an unfavorable out come.

"Sarah, whatever happened hasn't come to pass yet, and may be a long ways off. Please dearest, calm down and tell me what you saw." Jareth sighed as Sarah let out a shuddering breath. He hated to see her cry, much less in such terrible fear.

Slowly, Sarah found her voice, and recited the entire dream for Jareth. Her voice cracked and failed at many places, but he was patient with her. Once she had finished telling him everything, he cupped her cheek in his hand.

"Sarah, I know what you saw was very disturbing, and this doesn't sound like a normal vision. Feyore and Eve also have a foundation in foresight; I will talk to them first thing tomorrow. You may need to tell them what you saw; do you think you can do that?" Jareth didn't want to push her, but the vision could be better analyzed if Sarah herself repeated it.

"I… I think so," Sarah said wearily. "God, it felt so real, but I knew it wasn't. I was so afraid; I thought I'd lost you…" Jareth kissed her forehead once and then on the lips. His thumb brushed her cheek as he looked into her eyes.

"It's alright Sarah; I'm not going to leave you." Sarah wanted to protest to scream out and argue about how he could tell her such a thing. She was so exhausted; she leaned heavily upon Jareth who lay back holding her tightly to his chest.

"Please, just talk, anything, just until I fall asleep," Sarah pleaded. She was desperate for the sound of his voice to keep her anchored away from the cruel spirit world.

"Of course love," Jareth said stroking her hair. "There's such a sad love deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel…" He sang quietly even after she had fallen asleep. Once he was too tired to stay awake, he ended his song and soon fell asleep after her, hoping she wasn't too traumatized by what she had seen.

**Author's Note:**

Oh my, poor Sarah, poor Jareth, I sure hope that vision is some kind of terrible, horrible fore shadowing of something just plain awful. You'll just have to read and find out now won't you.Don't fret too much. Keep in mind that I'm really not as evil as I like to make myself sound. Anyway, thank you all so much who have reviewed so far. It really motivates me to write my best! Please, please, keep on reviewing to let me know what you think. Please forgive any errors that slip my eye.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth, or any of the characters.

Chapter Eight

White Shadows

"Sarah, time to wake up," Jareth said gently. He hated to wake her, she seemed distressed through her sleep all night, but he couldn't let her sleep any longer. He let her rest while he asked for a meeting with Feyore and Eve. Sarah groaned, and rolled over to face him. Her eyes were red with dark circles underneath. Even immortals could not rely on their appearance to hide distress.

"Morning," Sarah said sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Jareth smiled, and went over to wrap her in a warm embrace. She sighed contentedly and leaned into him.

"Feyore and Eve will be here very soon, you had best get yourself prepared," Jareth said softly in her ear.

"Alright, just give me a few minutes; I'll meet you in the dining hall?"

"Of course." Jareth leaned down and kissed Sarah lightly before leaving her to her morning routine. He was already dressed and ready so that if the two light elves showed up early, he could entertain them until Sarah was ready.

Everything from Sarah's bathroom had been moved into Jareth's since they now shared his room. Sarah's old room was turned into a private study for her to collect her thoughts or practice magic on her own.

Feeling much better after a warm bath, she wrapped her green robe around herself and went to the wardrobe to pick out a dress. Jareth dressed more formally today, probably since they were expecting guests. Sarah expected that she should do the same.

Rifling through the hangers and puffy dresses, Sarah found a long dark brown silken gown. It was embroidered with a mesh layer of lace with golden designs and swirls that started at the top and became more intricate as they reached the bottom. There were very short sleeves on the dress that just covered the top of her shoulders. The top of the dress was a heart shape, and was form fitting until puffing out slightly at the feet. Sarah had decided that she was very fond of this dress.

Brushing through her hair, Sarah left it to hang in a silky sheet behind her. Digging around in her jewelry box Jareth had given her, there was a gold necklace with a topaz gem chain going down the front. There were always matching earrings, bracelets and hair ornaments. It was if they were made just for the dress that she had on.

Putting the jewels on, Sarah used the matching hair clips to pull the sides of her hair out of her face, lastly putting on gold shoes with a low heel. Deciding that her appearance was more than acceptable, and feeling better just because she looked better, she made her way to the dining hall.

Jareth was standing at one of the large windows with his hands behind his back. Sarah made her way over to him and linking her arm with his once she reached him.

"How are you feeling?" Jareth looked down to peer at her face. Sarah looked a bit better, but he could still easily see that she was exhausted. She smiled slightly, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I am better than I was last night," Sarah said quietly. Jareth nodded, looking out the window again. They waited a few moments in comfortable silence before a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," Jareth said loudly, almost startling Sarah. They both turned in time to see the door open and Dydimus direct Feyore and Eve inside. Eve spotted Sarah at Jareth's side and went over to her, taking the younger woman's face in her hands.

"Goodness child, what has happened to you?" Eve scanned her face worriedly.

"Come now Eve, I say she looks quite lovely this morning," Feyore said with authority.

"Sarah has had a very strange vision, one that was too powerful for her to block. It did not sound like any vision a seer at her stage should be experiencing. I was hoping that you would be so kind as to offer your expertise," Jareth said. His voice tone was arrogant as always when dealing with others, even allies, but he smirked none the less. Sarah could see that he had withdrawn into the cold, cruel, Goblin King in the presence of his colleagues. Feyore and Eve exchanged glances. With a sigh, Eve took Sarah by the hand and led her to a seat.

"Come now dear, sit and tell us what you saw," Even said gently. Sarah passed a nervous look to Jareth who came to stand behind her for support. Feyore took a seat by Eve as they waited patiently for Sarah to start.

"Alright, this is what I saw," Sarah said averting her gaze to the table as she began to speak. She recited everything, the same way that she had told Jareth. She managed to keep it together a little better, only getting a little choked up when speaking about the dark elf killing Jareth.

Once she had finished telling them what had happened, there was an uncomfortable silence as Eve and Feyore passed concerned glances between one another. Sarah's hands were clenched in fists, shaking as she waited for them to give her some sort of explanation. She now understood how people could go mad from seeing visions such as these, always worrying when or if it all it will pan out that way.

"White Shadows," Eve questioned to her husband. Feyore looked to be in deep thought for a moment before nodding.

"It sounds like that is the case," Feyore said slowly. Jareth moved to sit beside Sarah, the icy look in his eyes melting for just a moment as she took a hold of his arm from under the table.

"Sarah," Eve began, "have you been having any serious anxieties about the dark elves?"

"No," Sarah replied. It was true; she had not been worried about facing them until she had that vision.

"Strange. White Shadows are what a seer comes in contact with when the spirit world is trying to warn them. That's why it's near impossible to block even for the most mastered psychic. Now listen, before you panic, White Shadows are not always set in stone." Sarah seemed to calm down at this.

"Yes, they are usually a warning of what can happen," Feyore said. "I expect that you will have another similar vision, the spirit world doesn't usually bother to warn anyone unless the seer requests it. That's why your situation is very unheard of. It's most likely the spirit world will show you a few more visions of the like to this one. As long as the figures are white and almost translucent as you have described them, it means that it is only one ending of many."

"But how do I know which ending will come to be?" Sarah looked between the two of them.

"There is no way to tell, unfortunately," Feyore said. "I don't know why you would be in the midst of the battle, but apparently you end up there for this certain ending to occur. Pay close attention to the next few visions you receive, the details will be the key into choosing which fate you'd prefer."

"That is the only plus of seeing White Shadows as to regular visions, they are the most likely to be able to change," Eve added on.

"When I had other visions come that looked related to fighting the dark elves they didn't look like that at all," Sarah said.

"Then they are probably the events that will occur leading up to whatever White Shadows you see next," Feyore answered.

"Alright, is there anything else I should know?"

"Well Sarah, White Shadows are rare. When seers delve into the spirit world for warning, most often they do not get it. Perhaps fate is trying to give you a choice, one that could drastically alter the future of the Underground," Eve replied.

"Thank you," Jareth replied, cutting the conversation to a close. He could have guessed that something like this would happen, and already Sarah was starting to get nervous about it. "I appreciate you both coming to see us, I would invite you to stay but I am sure you are very busy."

"Think nothing of it, I am certain you would have done the same," Feyore said standing from his chair. "Best of luck to you Sarah, if you need us again don't hesitate to ask." With that said they all stood from the table and exchanged respectful bows.

"Till we meet again," Eve said kindly following her husband from the room.

Jareth sighed, as he offered his hand to Sarah. She took it looking as tired as ever.

"Would you like me to summon your friends?" Jareth looked down to Sarah, moving her hand to his arm as he escorted her towards her study.

"No, I mean, not right now. Could you stay with me for a little while," Sarah asked as they reached her study door.

"Anything for you dearest," Jareth said airily, but not in an annoyed fashion.

After Sarah, Jareth followed her inside as she went to the balcony. Opening the doors she stepped outside in the cool breeze that tossed her hair about. Moving to sit on the railing of the balcony, she motioned for Jareth to sit beside her. Doing as she requested, Jareth sat down taking her hand.

"Jareth, if what Eve said is for real then what am I going to do?" Sarah looked up into his mismatched eyes, her own emerald orbs burning with fear and affection.

"You will do what you believe is right," Jareth said hoping to pacify her.

"What if I am wrong?"

"You will not be wrong love, I have faith in you. After all you managed to defeat me and the Labyrinth with out any powers. The spirit world would not be showing you these visions if it thought that you weren't capable of doing what's best," Jareth said serenely. Sarah sighed and leaned her head upon his shoulder.

"What if the vision with you dying is the right one?" Sarah paled at the thought.

"Sarah, you don't even know what the other visions are yet," Jareth said amused for a moment before turning serious. "If it turns out to be the right one, then it will be for the best."

"I don't know if I can do that," Sarah said, staring unseeingly at the garden below.

"Hopefully you won't have to," Jareth sighed. He lifted his hand to brush it along her cheek. "Will you be alright for awhile?"

"Yea, I think I'll go visit Hoggle," Sarah said smiling. Jareth nodded leaning forward to kiss her deeply.

"I'll see you for lunch," Jareth replied kissing her once more before leaving her to her own.

After gazing down at the garden a little while longer, Sarah stood and went to look for Hoggle. She wasn't searching very long before she came across him hurrying down the hallway.

"Hoggle!" Sarah smiled as her dwarven friend stopped and turned to look at her.

"Hello Sarah, how are ya?" Hoggle returned her smile and walked the rest of the way to greet her.

"I'm alright; just busy trying to learn how to use these powers the right way."

"Yea, haven't seen ya much lately. How's that going for ya?" Hoggle rested one hand on his hip, looking up to her.

"It's interesting to say the least. What are you up to?" Sarah noticed he was fidgety.

"Just running a message for the King," Hoggle said nervously.

"Oh? Who's it from?" Sarah asked innocently enough, but her eyes were narrowed curiously.

"I can't say Sarah, alls I can tell ya is that it's about the Dark Elves," Hoggle was anxious to get away from her now. Sarah grinned and made a grab for the letter. As soon as her skin touched the rough parchment, she froze. Her head began aching as the familiar feeling from last night's vision accosted her mind. She pulled her hand away from the parchment as though it had burned her. Her eyes glazed over as she backed into the wall, sliding down to her knees.

"Hoggle," Sarah whispered, "get Jareth."

"Sarah? Sarah!" Hoggle looked at her worriedly; he waved his hand in front of her face, but received no response. With out a second thought, he took off as fast as his short legs would carry him. Jareth would not be pleased to be interrupted, but he would be even angrier if Hoggle had not told him that Sarah needed him.

**Author's Note:**

Oh my, what is Sarah going to see this time, just what is Jareth up to all the time and more importantly, who is Hoggle playing messenger for? Well, you'll just have to keep on reading to find out! Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed thus far, it's really motivating! Keep it up, and let me know what you think! Also, please forgive any errors that slip my eye.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth, or any of the characters.

Chapter Nine

Three Faces of the Spirit Queen

The last thing that Sarah heard was the sound of Hoggle hurrying away. She tried desperately to hold on, afraid of what this vision would show. She couldn't move, and her eyes refused to focus, it was as though she was stuck in limbo. Finally, deciding that she could not avoid this forever, she gave into the darkness.

_The vision was not of a battlefield but a darkened castle dungeon. Sarah's white ethereal form was shackled to the cold stone wall. There were two guards standing outside the bars of her cell. They were heavily armored, so much so that she could not figure out what shape they were. There were torches along the walls, the flames blue and black instead of red and orange._

_A distanced cry echoed down the long hallway, it sounded female. Whips and rattling chains were heard. Sarah could feel panic rising within her. Though it was just a vision, she knew she was next. The guards outside her door chuckled, and turned to look in at her. Their eyes where the same glowing red color of the large dark elf that had slain Jareth in her last vision. They looked to be shorter, ghostly versions of the aforementioned elf. "Dark Elves," Sarah whispered to herself. Why did they look like this? Surely if they could be benevolent, they shouldn't look like demons, what happened to them?_

_Sarah could hear the scraping sound of the cell door closing down the dank hall from hers. Soft sobbing was echoing all around. A moment later another dark elf with a black mask over its face appeared at the door with a flail. It looked the perfect image of executioner, only Sarah knew that he was here simply to torture her._

_Jingling keys could be heard as the guard closest to the door fumbled around for the right one. Finding it, there was a dead clinking sound as he unlocked the door. The only thing that was not white or translucent was the dungeon, the bars, and the torches. Sarah supposed it was because if this was the vision to come true, it may not be the same people standing guard or preparing to beat her now._

_Fear gripped her as the taller elf approached, raising the flail. He went to swing when a load roar echoed deafeningly through the stone hallways. He stopped immediately, the red eyes under the mask laughing at her._

"_It appears your King does have a heart, he has come to surrender to our demands," his voice was hard, deep, metallic and scratchy sounding. "The Underground will soon belong to us if all goes as planned." The other dark elves began laughing maniacally. It was disgusting to hear. Another roar was heard in the distance and they stopped laughing immediately. Fear crossed their blazing red eyes. "Something is wrong." That was the last she heard before the scene faded around her. The next thing Sarah knew, she was lost in an immense fog. _

"_Is this the next vision?" Sarah couldn't see anything._

"_No." Startled, Sarah turned around looking unsuccessfully for whoever had just spoken. It was most definitely a woman's voice unlike Sarah had ever heard before. "I will lead you to the final ending, and before I return you to your King, you shall know me." _

_Sarah wanted to call out and ask so many questions, but she had a feeling all would be answered after this final White Shadow. She was about to protest, she couldn't see anyone leading her anywhere, but stopped. In the distance a soft humming could be heard. It was a beautiful tune that hung eerily in the air; she had never heard the melody before._

_Moving slowly, Sarah headed to where she believed the sound to be coming from. The fog began dissipating as she got closer to the voice. Finally, the Fog cleared, and she was looking upon an older version of herself with a bundle in her arms. She was standing in her study which had been transformed into a nursery. She didn't look that much older than she was now, maybe mid twenties. This was the last White Shadow, as everything had the same ghostly appearance as the others._

_Sarah watched her older self rock and sing to the child. The baby did not cry or fuss, but cooed as the older Sarah laid it to rest in its crib. No sooner had her older self set the child down that the door opened. Standing there was a slightly older Jareth; he walked with a slight limp._

"_Are they still in chaos," came the older Sarah's voice._

"_Afraid so love, how is Rosalie?" Older Sarah smiled to Jareth and went over to embrace him._

"_She is just fine, but I hope that we can help in someway to return the Underground to some semblance before she or any other children we may have need to worry about ruling," the older Sarah said resting her head on Jareth's shoulder._

"_Things have been really messed up since that war 40 years ago," Jareth sighed._

"_Yes, I thought for sure everyone would lose their kingdoms, I didn't think this would be possible," the older version of herself said looking over to Rosalie's crib._

"_It took awhile, but I think the Underground is becoming a much better place than it was…" With that line, this scene also disappeared in a fog before her._

_Sarah waited as she was enveloped in complete white. She was not waiting long before a shadow started to emerge from the swirling white mists. What came forth, she didn't know, but instinctively backed away._

"_Do not fear me child," came the woman's voice from before the last vision. Sarah gasped as the woman came into view. She was dressed in elegant black and red robes, glittering in silver decorations. Her head however, was frightening. There were three faces attached to the body. One a beautiful woman's face, to the left was a lion's face, and to the right a boars face._

"_Who… who are you?" Sarah stopped backing away, but stood staring._

"_Queen Asura, of the spirits. The fate of the Underground rests upon you, it is against all of the rules for me to show which answer is the right one. You must figure it out for yourself. However, I have narrowed your choices to three, most of which seeming unfavorable._

"_Why have I chosen you? You were the only one to defeat Jareth's labyrinth, you are a very clever girl. No one else thinks the way you do, and if you look to the big picture, I believe you will know which path leads to the betterment of the Underground."_

"_How could I possibly…"_

"_Do not doubt yourself Sarah. When the time comes, I will appear to you once more, and you must choose which ending you desire…"_

"_But I don't know the exact ending, they are all open ended, anything could happen!" Queen Asura's human face smiled._

"_Yes, I have shown you the start, but the true ending will be up to you."_

"_I don't understand... Why stop the vision at Jareth dying, with something going wrong in the dungeon, and why show me with my future child? What do they have to do with the Underground?"_

"_Everything. If Jareth dies, it may bring peace between the other kingdoms and the dark elves, or perhaps it won't. Maybe something went wrong to your favor in the dungeon, something that you could do to take out the dark elves for good. Perhaps you want your child to grow up worry free from the dark elves. Only one ending is truly correct, the other two are to make you realize what you are risking. You cannot think of yourself Sarah, but of others," Queen Asura said gently._

"_Why did you show me this?"_

"_Because if you do this right, the suffering of many will be little or extinguished completely." Sarah reached out as she felt herself being pulled out of the spirit world. "Do not fear child," Queen Asura said. "I have the greatest of faith you will do the right thing." Giving a small bow, Sarah could felt herself falling. "Till we meet again Sarah."_

"_Sarah!"_

"_Sarah!?"_

With a groan, Sarah opened her eyes. She was no longer sprawled on the hallway floor, but lying in the bed she shared with Jareth. Her hand was clutched tightly within Jareth's.

"Sarah, what the hell happened? You've been out most of the day. What did you see?" Jareth's voice was heavy with relief and concern.

"I… I saw the other two endings," Sarah said gently. "I saw her… I saw Queen Asura." Jareth narrowed his eyes.

"…the demon queen of the spirit world? She never intervenes unless it is very serious, Sarah what she show you?" Jareth cupped her cheek in his hand, looking down upon her desperately.

"I can't tell you," Sarah whispered. Jareth looked taken aback, almost dejected.

"Why? Sarah, you know you can trust me."

"I know I can, but I can't let anything sway my decision." Jareth nodded, seeming to understand.

"Sarah, you should know, I've been meeting with the kings and queens of other kingdoms, and they have offered their support for battle. We've been making plans should we need to act. The letter Hoggle was carrying was a message from the dark elves. They will avoid revenge if we give them our kingdom."

"We can't do that!" Sarah sat up quickly, throwing her hand to her forehead. She winced and hissed in pain as her head throbbed. "Don't give in!" Jareth put his hand on her shoulder, making her lay down again.

"We won't Sarah, we won't." Jareth sighed standing up to leave a kiss upon her forehead. "I'll have Dydimus send up some dinner for us."

"What? I've been out all day," Sarah questioned in alarm.

"Yes, the sun set about an hour ago. I've been worried sick about you" Jareth ran his fingers through her hair before sending for Dydimus. Sarah's mind buzzed with everything she had seen. _She never intervenes unless it is serious…_ _The demon queen… _

Jareth returned a moment later and sat beside Sarah on the bed. Having her sit up, he piled pillows up so she could sit up against them. It appeared either Jareth or Elda changed her into a nightgown.

"Are you alright," Sarah questioned. Jareth turned to her and gave her a gentle kiss.

"I am fine now that you are awake," Jareth said with a smirk. With a nod Sarah offered up a smile. A few minutes later Dydimus brought up a meal for them. It was some sort of vegetable soup with noodles served with bread, and Sarah found it was quite good. After eating, she felt much better, but was somehow exhausted as though she had literally run through the spirit world.

"Get some rest love," Jareth said gently. "It takes a lot out of a new seer to experience lengthy visions." He made the plates and things of the like disappear back to the kitchen. Sarah smiled as he kissed her on the forehead and then the lips. Having her recline to lay town, he tucked the covers in around her. She had never felt so taken care of before. She held lightly to his hand, as he smiled down to her. "I will join you shortly." With that he turned to leave.

"I love you Jareth," Sarah said quietly. Jareth smiled, his heart melting.

"And I you, dearest," Jareth replied, his cold façade returning as he exited the room. Soon enough, Sarah fell asleep.

**Author's Note:**

So, uh, what just happened here? Why are the dark elves such a big threat to the underground? What could they possibly do? Well then, we'll just have to wait and see. Well, mostly you, I have a vague idea in place anyway. Heh. A great big, HUGE, thank you to those who have reviewed so far, it's really awesome to read what you think! Keep it up and keep on reviewing! Also, please forgive any errors that slip my eye.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth or any of the characters.

Chapter Ten

Beginning of Havoc and the Like

Weeks passed as Sarah contemplated her visions. Jareth was constantly meeting with other Kings, Queens, and other leaders. Apparently the Dark Elves numbers had multiplied by frightening amounts. This was not going to be as easy as any of them had hoped.

Sarah still felt left out on information, like there was something missing from the whole story of the dark elves being banned to the mountains. It crossed her mind whenever she thought about what the dark elves looked like. That couldn't be their natural appearance.

Pacing her study, Sarah tried to fit all the visions together, but they just didn't seem to go together. Which vision should she choose? She couldn't bring herself to think about Jareth dying, so she focused mostly on the other two. She came to the conclusion that the battle was inevitable. It occurred in two out of the three visions, and in the one where she couldn't see it, she figured that the battle was going on anyway while she was in the dungeon.

Sarah wished that Queen Asura could have given her more advice besides the things that she learned during her stay in the Labyrinth. Was she telling her not to take Jareth for granted because the vision with him dying was the correct one, and that it's not always fair the way things have to be? That seemed too obvious. She scolded herself for thinking about just one image; she was supposed to be trying to put them all together.

"I just don't see it," Sarah said to herself frustrated. It often ended this way. She would withdraw from Jareth after lunch, having spent the morning with him, and would disappear. Sometimes she didn't even show up to dinner. These visions began consuming her life. She wouldn't even stop to see her friends, saying that she had to find an answer, that it was just too important to put aside.

Sarah would return to their bedroom and bathe before dressing for bed. Jareth would ask her if she had made any progress, and she would sigh.

"I feel like its right there in front of me, and I'm just not looking at it right," Sarah would answer.

"I'm sure you will figure it out," Jareth always said encouragingly. Then Sarah would ask him how he was managing with plans. "We've got a few general plans that should work," was his answer every time. Most nights they just curled up together and fell asleep, others they were feeling too intimate to just sleep, releasing their passions upon each other.

One evening Sarah made a rare appearance to dinner, to an exhausted Jareth. She frowned, hating how much stress this battle had put on him. Walking over to him, she kissed him lightly before moving to sit across from him.

"Evening love," Jareth said tiredly, looking at the food set before him.

"Jareth, maybe you should get to bed early today," Sarah suggested worriedly, earning a small smile from him.

"Dearest, do not fret over me, all will be well once we've finalized a course of action that everyone can agree on."

"That could take forever," Sarah said stubbornly with a hint of a smile. Jareth smirked at her.

"Really Sarah, you should have more faith in me," Jareth said with mock offense taking a bite of seasoned chicken.

They spent the rest of the dinner talking and joking, Sarah trying to sooth some of the stress away with comic relief. Once finished, Jareth escorted Sarah to their room, leaving a soft kiss upon her lips. Cupping her cheek in his hand, he kissed her forehead.

"I'll join you soon, love."

"Don't be long," Sarah said with a small smile. Jareth nodded his consent as he let his hand slide away from her face.

Once inside, Sarah cleaned up and dressed in a short black, lacey, spaghetti strap nightgown. Curling into bed, she sighed contentedly into the comfortable pillows. A startling feeling came over her, like that of a White Shadow coming on.

"But I've seen them all already," Sarah slurred to herself, unable to fight it off at all.

"_Sarah," Queen Asura called, watching as Sarah appeared before her, confused. "The time is coming, you must decide. Your course of action will be the deciding factor! What do you choose?"_

"_I… I don't know!" Sarah's voice rose as she panicked._

"_That will not do! You must decide now! Who will you sacrifice? Your Jareth? Your child's future or yourself?" Asura's voice was firm and commanding, not like the kind one she had used when first meeting Sarah._

"_I sacrifice myself!" Sarah cried out as she was being pushed back into her own world, Queen Asura's beautiful human face smiling at her once more, the lion and boar's face seeming to be staring at more than just the white swirling mists._

"_Very good Sarah," Asura said softly. "Remember what you have chosen…"_

"_Wait! Aren't you supposed to…?" Sarah trailed off as she was roughly brought back into the living world._

Someone tied her hands back. Opening her eyes, Sarah was roughly thrown to the floor. Above her paced two dark elves, their familiar red eyes glowing in the darkened room. She wanted to scream out for Jareth, but knew it would only end badly if he started a fight now. She had to remain calm.

"What do you want?" Sarah made her voice commanding.

"We've come to offer you a proposition," said the dark elf nearest to the balcony doors. "You come with us peacefully; we spare your king in battle. You come with us forcibly, and we will not be held responsible for what happens when he tries to come to your rescue, or if he will even live _to_ see the fight." The beast paused, searching her face with those demonic red eyes, it made her skin crawl. "What will it be pretty?"

This was it, this was her choice, had Asura really thought she'd be so selfish? Perhaps the demon Queen of the spirits had to be sure of her character.

"I'll come," Sarah said quietly.

"Very good," said the other dark elf as he came forward grabbing her roughly by the arms. There would be bruises later, she knew it. Why would they offer such a thing? Perhaps killing Jareth wouldn't be enough; maybe they wanted to make him suffer first. They said that they would not harm him in the fight, but how could she trust them?

Sarah didn't have time to continue that thought, one of the dark elves had smacked her hard, too hard, on the forehead making her lose consciousness.

Jareth returned to the room after finishing the final plans quickly. He reached for the door handle but stopped, something was wrong, something was very, wrong. Surely if it was Sarah he would have sensed her distress, but opening the door open proved him wrong. He couldn't believe it; the sheets were in a twisted heap on the floor and the balcony doors left open in abandon.

Running out onto them, Jareth could see no trace of her, all but for a few drops of blood where they had struck her upon the head.

"Why didn't she call for me? Why didn't she even scream?" Jareth questioned, looking out to the night sky. "Is it possible she blocked me?" He couldn't fathom why she would do such a thing, unless it had to do with the visions she'd been seeing. He could barely contain his worry and rage. A vicious growl left his throat. He would make them pay.

Sarah groaned, awaking in a strange place. Why wasn't she shackled to the wall? Sitting up, she was woozy, putting a hand to her forehead, she felt dried blood from the gash they had inflicted upon her. She noticed she was on a hard mattress in a very dark room. It looked like someone had chucked her into a cave. The walls and floor were all made of uneven rock. There was a wooden door on the wall to the left of her, and a small candle sitting on an outcropping of rock that provided meager amounts of light.

Getting up and going to the door, Sarah found it to be locked. _Of course…_ Sighing, she sat on the edge of the hard mattress wondering when the vision she had seen would come to be. She then thought of Jareth and her heart broke, he must be worried sick. She hated to put anymore pressure on him, but if there was someway she could make it so they both got out alive for sure then she had to try.

Hearing a scraping sound and a small "chink" she stood up quickly, startled with what would be coming through the door.

"Finally awake are you?" It was a female's voice, scratchy and metallic like the male guard she had seen. Sarah could see her glowing red eyes from under a hood. They were not laughing evilly, but observant. She had never seen a female dark elf before; maybe she could get some information out of her.

"Y… yes, where am I," Sarah asked though she already had an idea.

"You child, are in the mountain kingdom of the dark elves," the female replied brining a change of clothes and food for her.

"What's your name? Do you know if a battle has started?" Sarah couldn't hide the concern in her voice as she asked.

"I am Feryia, and yes, the battle has already started. You've been out for a few days, our King was not pleased with how roughed up you were when those idiots brought you in."

"…Joker and the thief?"

"The very same, well here's some food for ya, and a change of clothes if you like." With that said, Feryia turned to leave.

"Wait, please, could I ask you some things?" Sarah thought Feryia may ignore her, but she did not.

"What could I possibly tell you?"

"What happened to you? I know you were banned by Jareth's father…"

"Yes, they all thought him an angel for banning our rowdy clans to the mountains, but there was blood upon his halo." Feryia seemed uncomfortable talking about this, but continued none the less. "He not only banished us, but put a curse on us to distort our images to the demons the vandal's of our clan portrayed us to be! He had the group causing the trouble murdered, and punished the rest of us for not being able to put a stop to it." Sarah gasped. Could this all be true?

"If this is all true then why not have the curse reversed?" Sarah was startled at the cold laughter that emanated from the woman.

"As if anyone would believe us. We didn't used to be so dark you know… It doesn't matter they wouldn't believe our side."

"I could make them believe!" Sarah protested.

"They'd think you a fool for believing anything an old chamber maid said," Feryia said solemnly.

"No! I could, I…" Sarah fumbled upon her words. She knew she shouldn't just believe whatever crap she heard, but she felt it, she _felt_ the truth.

"Listen, our King has been planning this revenge for a long time to come. Someone needs to pay for the suffering of our people…"

"But it wasn't Jareth's fault," Sarah cried. Feryia seemed to smile sadly under the cloak.

"We know that as well as any, but the others need this. When a people have been wronged so greatly, it's not fair, it's not even close to let that go peacefully. It may not have been your king's fault, but he's as close as the king can get to the one who caused this. He won't be killed, but his Kingdom will be taken, his citizens ruined, and he will be cursed and humiliated along with you."

"That's the way it _is_ though!" Sarah looked frantic. "It's a terrible tragedy what happened to your people, but what good is it to punish someone who is just as innocent as you were!"

"Some of us sympathize with you Goblin Queen; we know very well that if your King knew how to reverse this curse that he would. Most of my people see him as his father, always going after a quick fix to please the rest of the world, be damned the innocent. Listen child, it is not I who needs convincing that this war isn't the revenge everyone wants it to be, it's not fair, but that's the way it _is_," she said mocking Sarah's earlier statement.

Sarah sighed and seemed to be on the verge of tears, perhaps she had chosen wrong? How could she know?

"Listen here, I'm not to blame if you put on those cloaks and pass out of here like one of us," Feryia said wisely. "It would only be natural to warn your King and try to get out while you still can. Faulty locks these doors have." With that said, she turned to leave. Sarah did not here the door lock.

Quickly Sarah changed into the robes and hooded her face from sight. Running for the door her hand stopped halfway to the handle as Feyore's words came to her from when she had told the light elves of her vision_: I don't know why you would be in the midst of the battle, but apparently you end up there for this certain ending to occur._ She couldn't go, if Feryia was right and the battle was going on right now, Jareth would die if she went there now. The horrible image of Jareth being impaled by the beast's sword and crumbling to the ground was too much. How would she end up in the dungeons though?

"That's it!" Sarah had figured it out. She was meant to be let out, but not to actually get away! If she did this right, they would capture her and keep her in the dungeons and attempt to beat her for her disobedience. Deciding to take her chances she quietly left the room. Sneaking down dark rock hallways, she didn't see any guards. After wandering for quite awhile she found herself in the main hall leading to the gate that would lead to her freedom and Jareth's death. They didn't want to take revenge by killing him, but if they couldn't exact their plan out perfectly, death would do.

Thankfully, she heard some scuffling and saw two guards approach. By the sounds of their voices, they were the guards from her vision. _Thank god…_She thought, staging the scene. If she timed it right, she could make it look like she was truly trying to escape.

Waiting until she heard them turn the corner, Sarah broke out into a run. Her hood flew back to reveal her long silky locks. Looking over her shoulder she feigned panic.

"It's the Goblin Queen! She's getting away," one of the dark elves yelled. Sarah purposely ran slowly and daintily making it easy for the two dark elves to catch her. Again she was knocked unconscious, but not by a knock on the head, it was the same charm the thief had used on her to force her to sleep. She fell in a heap just before the doors.

_Very good Sarah…_

Sarah heard Queen Asura's voice in her head as she awoke shackled to the cold stone wall. The scene before her was very tangible and real…

**Author's Note:**

Okay, I've slacked a bit on the last chapters, but here's a longer one for you. This fic is drawing to a close. The next chapter will probably do it, unless I can think of something else to add in here. Maybe two more chapters and an epilogue. Thank you all for reviewing so far. It's really helped motivate me through the ups and downs. Please keep on reviewing to let me know what you think. As always, please forgive any errors that slip my eye.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth, or any of the characters.

Chapter Eleven

Beauty and the Beast

The next thing Sarah knew, the white shadow was playing out just as she had seen it in her vision. This time she was not afraid as the taller elf approached, raising the flail. He went to swing when a loud roar echoed deafeningly through the stone hallways. He stopped immediately, the red eyes under the mask laughing at her, just as they had in her vision.

"It appears your King does have a heart, he has come to surrender to our demands," his voice was hard, deep, metallic and scratchy sounding. "The Underground will soon belong to us if all goes as planned." The other dark elves began laughing maniacally. It was still disgusting to hear.

Another roar was heard in the distance and they stopped laughing immediately. Fear crossed their blazing red eyes. "Something is wrong." Sarah held in her smile of satisfaction, knowing this would happen before they did, but now she was on her own.

"Looks like you are to come with me little Queen," the dark elf with the flail said, unchaining her from the shackles but keeping a firm hold on her. As if Sarah would run now, she had a feeling this is what was supposed to be happening. Having the two guards walk on either side of her, the taller elf led the way up a spiraling stair case. On the way out, Sarah saw the form of a woman huddled on the floor in the cell next to hers. She had a cloak over her face, and Sarah hoped that it had not been Feryia for letting her "accidentally" get out.

Sarah followed them up flights of stone stairs and down similar dark rock hallways. She had no idea where they were leading her, but thought that it was important she meet whomever they were taking her to.

Finally, they stopped at two large stone doors. Knocking once, a dark, beastly, growling voice answered.

"Enter." The voice gave Sarah chills, but she didn't have time to dwell on it as the stone doors seemed to open by themselves. The room was completely dark inside, only the meager candle light from the hall existed and showed nothing but the dark stone floors. "Leave her…" The three dark elves bowed and made their way out, closing the doors behind her. Startled by the pitch black, she was relieved when a single, lonely candle was lit on the wall. The hand that had lighted it quickly moved out of the light. It looked boney, and decayed, causing Sarah to worry. "Do you know why I have brought you here?"

"T… to get revenge on Jareth for his father's mistakes which is completely wrong!" Sarah couldn't hold her temper in check. The dark voice chuckled slowly, coldly.

"Yes dear child, but not in the way that you think," the voice drawled.

"What do you mean," Sarah asked, making her voice as commanding as possible.

"No wonder the Goblin King loves you so much; your fire rivals that of the depths of hell…" Sarah didn't know whether to feel complimented or offended. Deciding that this was the enemy she was speaking with, feeling offended was a lot easier.

"You're not going to kill him?" Sarah hoped that the honest wonder of "why not" didn't sound in her voice.

"No, no, that would be too easy. I am not out to destroy his kingdom, or torture either him or his people, at least not physically. Instead," the voice growled, "I have chosen to take his light…"

"What?" Sarah was confused now.

"You child, you are his light. Before you his life was as dark and as empty as this room, but with you, his life became brightened. I thought it only fair since he banished us to the dark to do the same to him… in different senses completely… though I believe this is a suitable exchange."

"You can't do that," Sarah yelled. "I will not stay here! Especially since you are wrong in punishing Jareth for something he had NO hand in!"

"I already have done it little Queen, you will be mine now! Our beauty has been taken and so I take you from him," he growled. "You! You girl, represent everything that was taken from us! The innocence, the light, the beauty! Unless he reverses this curse his father put upon us, he has lost you forever! The battle is a mere distraction to make him think he's doing something," the voice hissed.

"But how can you do that… How can you… it wasn't his fault. How is it revenge when you are punishing someone who is just as innocent as you were," Sarah cried. She felt tears well up within her eyes. This can't possibly be right, could it?

"Maybe not, but it is revenge my people need. Do not weep child, he will be spared among all who have fought against us. So long as you remain here, I give you my word as a King that there will be peace. The only other option is for your king to find a way to reverse the atrocity put on us…" _King!_ Sarah gasped; she was talking to the king of the dark elves. _Good job Sarah, sassing the Dark Elf King…As if those two goons bowing to him didn't give it away. _She mentally sighed, she couldn't afford to be slow right now, details mattered, and here she was missing simple give aways.

"How can I take your word for it when I don't even know what you look like, and what of your Queen?" Sarah was startled by the cold, harsh laughter that echoed around the cold room.

"Dear child, I had no Queen before the curse was cast, who could ever learn to love a beast such as I?" The king paused for a moment. "If you truly wish to view upon my twisted visage, it is only fair that you see what you will be living with for awhile. The ugliest of all."

Sarah jerked, wanting to make a desperate run for it. "Step towards the light girl," the king growled. She did so, watching as large, cold, glowering red eyes made their way forth from the darkness.

The candle light only lit about a three foot circumference. Sarah stopped just before the light so that it cast shadows upon her unnaturally beautiful face. She could hear the growling breaths as the King stepped forward. His eyes kept getting closer and closer, seeming to be floating upon nothing. Finally, the king made it to the candle just so that he was still hidden.

"There is no going back once you have seen me little Queen. The nightmares that may come from this, cannot be undone, are you sure?" Sarah gulped and nodded. She needed to face this.

The king stepped forward allowing one foot, looking like a birds with three taloned toes, into the candle light. Next came the legs, long, almost doglike, but scaley like a dragon from where she could see from the tears in his black pants. Finally, the King stepped into full view.

Sarah gasped stepping backwards and tripping over her cloak to fall on her knees. The King's torso, chest, arms and hands were skeletal, almost nothing but bones wrapped in a cloak and gloves.

Upon his skeletal neck sat a skull with long twisting horns and ears that looked like they belonged to an elf. The skin on his face was twisted and scaly having the muzzle of a wolf but from the eyes up the bald skull of a human.

Seeing her reaction, the King went to move back into the shadows.

"No," Sarah said weakly, standing up to step forward into the light. The glowing red eyes looked as though he were a beaten, cornered wild animal, confused as to why its keeper didn't turn away. "You don't need to hide your face from me," she said slowly. All of the others had just looked deathly skeletal with the same twisted skin and in some cases horns. The only thing different about the king was his feet and the wolfish muzzle. "What is your name?"

"You are a strange girl indeed," the King growled. "I am Verdant. Come forth, take her to her room," Verdant said almost dejectedly. "I doubt that she would want her escape to mean world war, or the death of her king." The two doors opened and different guards appeared to take Sarah to her room. She watched as Verdant turned away from her, a long furry tail hanging in his wake. Turning away, she followed the two guards back to the room she had first awoken in. After being locked in, she paced.

"Feryia said Jareth doesn't know how to reverse the spell," Sarah said to herself. "Asura why did you show me this, what am I supposed to do?" There had to be a reason for all of this, tears of frustration and over whelming sadness rolled down her cheeks. She missed Jareth dearly already, and if the facts she received were correct, the dark elves truly hadn't deserved this fate. Falling down on the hard mattress, she pulled the small sheet they had offered her up to keep the chill away. It was with Asura's words ringing in her ears that she fell asleep: "_Because if you do this right, the suffering of many will be little or extinguished completely."_

Jareth paced his room; everything had remained untouched since Sarah had been abducted. He would allow no one in the room, not wanting anyone to disturb the essence that was fleeting with her absence. He had not slept, could not sleep. The battle had ended with a stale mate, and all were allowed to return to their kingdoms, honor their dead, and treat their wounded.

Jareth could still hear the loud roars of the King as he offered his terms.

"He has Sarah, he has my Sarah," Jareth snarled. "Dydimus!" Within seconds the fox like being was at the door bowing.

"Yes Majesty?"

"Go to the library, bring me every book on curses we own, bring my fathers journals, and bring anything that you think may help!" Jareth was fuming, waves of infuriated power coming off of him. Dydimus did not answer but left quickly to fulfill his mission.

Jareth requested that once Feyore and Eve had taken care of their kingdom, that they come as soon as possible to help him find a solution to this. He could not, would not lose Sarah! He couldn't just seize the castle, the dark elves had become to powerful, and even if he did it would only cause a giant war.

Creating a crystal, Jareth watched as Sarah had cried herself to sleep. It broke his heart, he wanted nothing more than to be able to run to her and take her into his arms. How he wished to be able to speak to her, hold her in his arms. She couldn't even see him; she hadn't gotten to conjuring gazing crystals. Building frustration and anger at being unable to do anything for her, he whipped the crystal across the room, watching as it smashed into thousands of diamond like pieces.

Pacing again, Jareth ran his fingers through his hair. There had to be some way to do this. He couldn't allow Sarah to be lost in a Kingdom of strangers, alone, and frightened. He knew she was strong, fiery, but he worried about the long term affects this would have on her.

Moments later Dydimus returned with several Goblins all carrying large leather bound books.

"Just leave them at the door," Jareth said airily, still annoyed.

The goblins quickly dumped off the books and ran away from their angry king. Dydimus on the other hand stayed.

"Your Highness, we will get her back," Dydimus said seriously. Jareth did not snap or sound angry when he replied.

"We have to… Already, my world is crumbling," Jareth whispered. Never before had he been so open about what he was feeling with anyone but Sarah. It was strange, but he knew if he could trust anyone to still respect him, it was his most loyal knight.

Dydimus did not respond, but merely stood at the door. He once knew that feeling, that horrid feeling of losing all that brought meaning to your life. Finally he spoke.

"I will do all I can," Dydimus said, turning and leaving the king to ravage through the books for answers.

**Author's Note:**

Alright, this isn't the longest chapter, but made the final turn for this story. The ending that has come to my mind will extend the story a little bit. I imagine by maybe just one more chapter. Several twists went through my mind that I may still use, but we'll see. Thank you so much to all who have reviewed so far! I try my best for you. As always let me know what you think, and please forgive any errors that slip my eye.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth, or sadly, any of the characters.

Chapter Twelve

The Lost Civilization

Sarah awoke the next morning to the sound of her door being unlocked and creaking opened. Letting out a yawn, she stretched slightly and sat up. Her eyes burned from her tears last night, but she was relieved to see the familiar blue cloaks of Feryia.

"Good morning Lady," Feryia said hauling in a water basin for Sarah to wash up in. Instead of robes, Feryia held a simple white, velvet gown. There was a gold cord that tied around the middle and gold embroidery on the scoop neck line and sleeves. "The King said it'd be a shame to hide your beauty under cloaks." Sarah blushed, feeling guilty for being blessed with her appearance.

"Thank you so much," Sarah said standing up.

"The King would like to give you a tour of our city once you are up to it," Feryia said putting a few apples on an out cropping of rock, what Sarah assumed would be her breakfast. "I'll be waiting outside, let me know when you're ready." With that Feryia closed the door behind her.

Sarah was surprised they let Feryia attend to her again, perhaps they thought it a true accident, or that she had somehow managed to pick the lock from inside. Going over to the water basin, she washed her face off, enjoying the cool water against her tear stained cheeks.

For toilets, they looked like old above ground versions, made of wood and rock with a pull chain. She was surprised there was no fowl odor. Changing into the white gown, she smiled, it fit just right. She ran her fingers through her hair, getting the tangles out, and grabbed an apple to eat on the way.

Sarah exited her room and walked over to Feryia, who was about the same height as her. It was strange for Sarah to be around people her own height after being with the goblins for so long. It struck her, that she missed her subjects almost as much as she missed Jareth. Pushing the negative thoughts aside, she put on a smile. Feryia led her back towards the same two large stone doors that she had met the King in last night.

Knocking once, the doors opened and out stepped the king. He was dressed in very fine robes of black and blue silk. The Robes had a hood that he had up over his face. Nothing was visible but the blackened furry wolf muzzle and glowing red eyes. The hood had holes to allow his horns through, and a golden crown rested between them. Feryia bowed, and Sarah quickly followed suite earning a small growling chuckle from the King.

"There is no need for such formalities, Sarah," the king said, startling her by using her name. She straightened up quickly, an embarrassed smile upon her face. "I don't intend for you to feel like a prisoner here, more like a guest for an extended stay," he said slowly.

Sarah could have whipped out witty angry retorts, but she did not. It would not help her case, and while she was here, she had to play by his rules. She didn't like being submissive, but maybe if she was really good he would let her have some contact with Jareth.

"Come," Verdant said as gently as his beastly voice would allow. Sarah glanced over her shoulder to see that Feryia did not follow. "I'm sorry that you had the misfortune of staying in the dungeons, you were not meant to end up there under any circumstance."

"Oh," Sarah breathed out. "It's alright; I wasn't even conscious half of the time."

"I also apologize for your unpleasant encounter with Joker and the thief." Sarah was confused, wondering why he was apologizing for all of this. Upon first meeting him, she could tell that he wasn't evil; it was just that fate had not been kind.

Walking by his side, Sarah looked content despite her situation. He led her down the long rock hallways, and to a large iron gate that led down the mountainside and into a large village. It appeared that the mountain ran around a colorful green valley, a natural protection to the people living there. There was a water fall that ran down the side of the mountain into a large lake. Where the excess water from the lake exited, she couldn't see.

"This is my Kingdom, lost to generations of Fae," Verdant said.

"Hasn't anyone ever flown over the mountains and seen you?" Sarah looked up and could see a medium sized circle of bright blue sky.

"No one ever flies up high enough," the king explained. "It's better that they don't anyway, no one would want to know our people."

"That's not true," Sarah protested. "I for one am very interested in learning about your culture no matter what you look like." Verdant chuckled at her spirit.

"Well, please, any questions you have, don't hesitate to ask." Sarah smiled honestly for the first time since she arrived here. Verdant really wasn't that bad at all, he seemed like a good King to manage to uphold such a beautiful Kingdom with out outside influence or trade. Perhaps over time, they could be friends on some level. Sarah hoped so; the loneliness around him was like a dark cloud dampening his true aura.

For the next few hours, Verdant led Sarah around the kingdom. Most of the citizens wore cloaks like those she had seen in the castle.

"Is it some kind of law to have to cover your face, or is just because they want to," Sarah asked. Verdant sighed a little, but not angrily.

"They do it of their own accord. Going from handsome beings into… well… this was hard on the people. They don't like to remember just how badly their images have been distorted." Sarah nodded, again feeling guilty.

"I know this isn't some case of the ugly duckling, but I think too much stock is put on appearance. You don't seem so terrible," Sarah said thoughtfully. Verdant chuckled; he had not done so in public since the curse, earning strange looks from on-looking citizens.

"We aren't Sarah, and what is 'the ugly duckling'?" It was Sarah's turn to laugh. She forgot that in the Underground, they probably didn't know very much if anything at all about Aboveground children stories, and proceeded to explain it to him.

"I wish this was something we could grow out of," Verdant said leading her to the lake. "Even the new born children are cursed with this appearance, they think nothing of it, it's better for them that way when they are young. When they grow older we tell them of the curse, many of them become bitter towards the rest of the courts, but it is natural."

Sarah frowned at this information but didn't reply to it. They walked around the rest of the lake in amiable silence until her stomach let out a growl. Blushing, she averted her gaze to the ground.

"Come, we shall get some lunch," Verdant said, his glowing red eyes smiling at her. Sarah smiled abashed.

"Thank you for the tour," Sarah said lightly. The citizens bowed their heads as they passed, but then went on their way. Sarah didn't think that she would have been welcomed this well.

"You're Welcome."

"Do they, I mean do your people mind my presence? I am an outsider."

"No, I've made them aware that you did not even exist in the underground at the time the curse was placed," Verdant said wisely.

"How did you know?"

"Everyone, even us, heard about the Goblin Kings defeat by a mortal girl. It only made sense that he would want you back as his Queen." Sarah's mouth formed a small "oh".

"I didn't know that I was famous," Sarah said jokingly.

"More like infamous, my people wanted me to take you the moment you returned. I knew you were different, and I could have easily foiled Jareth's plans to win you over at last," Verdant sighed. Sarah frowned at this. "They saw your union as your siding with the enemy."

"Why didn't you? I mean, not that I would have wanted to, or think it would have gone over that well if you had."

"Dear child, a beauty such as yourself doesn't belong with a monster such as I," Verdant said slowly.

"Why not? There's no reason. Just because ones image is more favorable than another's, that doesn't mean we couldn't have at least been friends…" Verdant's glowing red eyes smiled at this.

"Such a strange girl. I had a feeling of your character, and I knew that I could never condemn you to such a fate."

"I wouldn't have felt condemned," Sarah protested earning another laugh from the King.

"No, I suppose that you wouldn't, but it would have been harder for you that way. You are here now; let's not dwell on what could have been."

"So, we can be friends now?" Verdant looked surprised.

"You truly wish to befriend me? I have taken you from your king, your home, and bound you to a mountain prison. How is it that you do not detest me?"

"Well what good would that have done me? No, I'm not happy with it, nor do I agree with your course of action; but if I'm going to be here we should get along," Sarah replied.

With that said they both headed to back to the Castle, and Sarah received the lunch worthy of the Queen she was. She did not bring up Jareth or returning home, she had a feeling Verdant knew that it was on her mind often enough.

Over the next few days, Sarah had become friendly with Verdant. She ate meals with him and often went for walks with him outside of the castle. Eventually Feryia stopped locking her door at night, and Sarah knew that the King had come to trust her on some level.

Sarah was still lonely for Jareth's company, she missed him so very much, but she had let her anger go. Verdant's attentions kept her pacified more often than not. Almost two weeks had passed before Sarah got up the courage to ask Verdant if she could have some contact with Jareth. She had expected him to explode, forbid it and send her to her room, but he had not.

Verdant's glowing red eyes watched her knowingly and he assigned her a messenger bird that would allow her correspondence. Sarah was so happy that she actually debated hugging him, but instead settled for laying a gentle hand on his arm and thanking him profusely before running back to her room to begin writing. Verdant watched her go, a sigh escaping his lips. He was becoming too soft on her, but he could not help it, Sarah was an easy girl to love.

Sarah understood that he must trust her; she could send messages out about the village if she desired. She did not. She had become a close friend to Verdant. Even though he was her captor, he wasn't a nasty person at heart and was just trying to do something to ease the pain of his people. It took awhile, but Sarah finally understood this, and couldn't hold it against him any longer. The only two people to really talk to her were Verdant and Feryia, the others shied away from her presence.

The night after he had granted her permission to write home, Sarah found parchment and quills left upon her mattress which had been up graded to sitting upon a wooden frame, and actual quilts. She quickly started a letter to Jareth, telling her how much she loved him and missed him. She wrote that she knew he was doing everything he could to get to her, and that he shouldn't worry, for the King was being very, very, kind to her. She with held information on Verdant knowing Jareth wouldn't want to hear about how she became all buddy-buddy with her captor.

Once finished, Sarah rolled up the parchment, and allowed it to sit on an outcropping of rock that acted as a shelf. She had Feryia send for a bath, and during the course of writing her letter, a large brass tub was brought to her room and filled with steamy water. Feryia provided soaps, and Sarah was soon washed and ready for bed. Like magic, Feryia made the tub, water, and soaps disappear, leaving Sarah to rest.

Getting ready to climb into bed, a strange but familiar feeling came over her. It was the feeling she had when she was being called into the spirit world. She had not had a vision since she had been captured. Could it be Asura trying to tell her what to do next? Lying down in bed, Sarah debated ignoring the vision, but it was quite powerful and hard to hold off. Closing her eyes, she let go of the land of the living once more, and became enshrouded in a familiar blinding fog.

"_Sarah, you have done very well," came Asura's voice. Sarah turned to watch as the beautiful face of the Queen of spirits came into view, the other two faces of lion and boar were staring and unseeing in opposite directions._

"_I don't know what I am supposed to do now," Sarah said._

"_You will not like what I am about to tell you, but it must be done Sarah. To free yourself, your king and the rest of the underground, there is no time to wait for the counter curse. I've watched as the King Verdant has come to trust, befriend, even love you, and now you must take advantage of this," Asura replied seriously._

"_What do you mean?" Sarah looked confused, and nervous. _

"_Why, my dear child, you must kill the Dark Elf King."_

**Author's Note:**

Oh dang! What the heck? Now wait a minute, what's going on? You'll just have to read and find out! Yes, I was like screw it and am pulling out all the stops. Every twist that comes to mind will be added. At the very least two more chapters with the material I have now. Don't worry there will be a lot more Jareth in the next chapter! Thank you all who have reviewed thus far! It means sooo much to me! As always, keep on reviewing and please forgive any errors that slip my eye.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth, or any of the characters.

Chapter Thirteen

Spies of the Dark

"_I can't do that," Sarah cried out. "He's… He's my friend!"_

"_He is your captor," Asura fired back. "Surely you can't harbor any feelings for that hideous beast."_

"_Who are you? The Asura I knew would never say such things!" Sarah was angry, angrier than she had ever been at Verdant. Asura's eyes seemed to smile, though her face remained as passive as ever._

"_You would not kill to be rid of them?"_

"_Never! I would never do that! Just… just because of what they look like, they're NOT bad people," Sarah raved._

"_Sarah, I am going to show you a chain of events that will not be so pleasing. There is a traitor among you here, and if you can't find out who it is, then I fear you may not have a choice."_

"_What? I don't understand," Sarah said eyeing her suspiciously._

"_Listen child, I had to be sure that you were really attached to Verdant, it won't work otherwise! So stop looking at me that way and be grateful that I find you worthy enough for this."_

"_Why are you helping me so much? I never asked, not that I don't appreciate what you've done for me."_

"…_Because you need to protect the rest of the Underground. If this traitor succeeds, it will trigger the downfall of the entire Seelie Court, bringing an up rise to the Un-Seelie court to drive this world into darkness! You are its last light of hope…" Asura sighed._

"_Alright…I will do my best," Sarah said almost sadly._

"_I know you will, do not worry, soon it will not matter if your Jareth can find the counter curse. The Dark Elf King cares for you a great deal more than you realize. Just watch, for this all I can tell or show you," Asura said, her voice fading away as well as her image being consumed in the swirling white fog._

_Sarah waited in the blinding fog, thinking it almost cheating to have the help of a spirit Queen, but when the fate of a whole world hangs in the balance, it's more than necessary that she get this right._

_Finally, a scene appeared before her. She was running into Jareth's arms, both of them being bruised and bloodied, and then she was pulled back quickly through the fog into the vision where she had been shackled to the wall. Why was Asura showing her this again? The familiar cries from down the stone hallway, and then the guards. The whole thing was exactly the same as the first time she had seen it._

_Next the fog swirled and she was with Verdant. They were walking down the hall quickly, and then something jumped out at them. It was more hideous than anything Sarah had ever seen before, Verdant shoved her behind him, and then the scene changed again._

_Sarah didn't recognize where she was through all the fog yet, but she was alone. Then it cleared to show her watching her older self with the baby Rosalie again. Jareth entered with the same limp as last time, and when her older version reached him and embraced him, the dialogue was different._

"_Are all the arrangements made," her older self asked._

"_Yes, the festival will commence shortly, are you sure you are up to it?"_

"_Yes, I've been attending for years, why should this time be any different?"_

"_Well, considering…" Sarah didn't get to hear what Jareth said for she was thrust back into her own world. _

Sitting up, Sarah gasped, she must have done something right to change the future so far. The Underground wasn't in ruins anymore in that vision, but what festival was she talking about? Next she tried to focus on the other two things she had seen.

It was all too confusing, and she was too tired to dwell on it now. Maybe if she could enhance her seeing powers, she could have a better chance of saving Verdant and the rest of the world. So the next morning, she barged right up to his doors and knocked once. When he came out to see what she wanted, all she asked was:

"How do I get stronger?"

With Verdant confusedly agreeing to train her further in the power of "seeing", Sarah felt much more confident. She had long since sent her letter to Jareth, adding on what happened in the most recent vision. She knew it may take a day or so for it to be delivered, and waited anxiously over the next few days.

Verdant was way more experienced than Sarah, frustratingly so for her. He could send visions to her, and make her fight against them.

"Come on Sarah, I've not even reached half of my force, you can't l hold off just because it's me. I need you to fight back," Verdant growled. Sarah's brow was furrowed, he was right; she was only focusing on keeping her defensive wall up.

After a long training session, Sarah returned to her room to see that a letter was sitting un-opened on her bed. Her heart jumped into her throat as she ran over and ripped it open. The familiar scent of home was somehow embedded in the parchment, and once opened it read:

_My Dearest Sarah,_

_I cannot tell you how relieved I was to receive some word from you. I've been trying everything that I can think of to remove the curse with the help of Feyore and Eve. As for this most recent vision of yours, I think the main priority is the vision where you are in the dungeon. I know it seems pointless, but why else would she feel the need to show it to you again? I know you are very clever, and if this is as important as Queen Asura says, then I know you won't let us down. I wish that I could help you or tell you more._

_All is well here, and I am as well as I can be. I miss you dearly. I am grudgingly grateful to this king of yours for having the decency to take care of you properly and keep you some company. Though Eve, Feyore, and even Dydimus try their best, I cannot sate the loneliness that exists without you here. I wish for nothing more than to hold you close and never let anyone take you away again, but for now we are working against a greater evil than this distance. Though what could be a greater evil than this I do not know. I love you more than words could ever say, and my heart longs for the moment when will be together again. I hope to hear more from you very soon, for your letter brought some much needed comfort. Take care love._

_Yours always and Forever,_

_Jareth_

"Oh, Jareth…" Sarah whispered with tears in her eyes once she finished the letter. She had not broken down since her first night here, and now reading this simple letter, emotions came flooding out of her. Curling up on her bed, tired, and now emotionally drained. She could sense the pent up anger that Jareth had for Verdant, but it was understandable. This gave her even more of a reason to find this "Traitor" quickly. She hated to leave Verdant, he was such a good friend to her now, and she would hate to leave him lonely again. Maybe once they reversed the curse he could find a Queen.

With a sigh, Sarah just laid on her bed, letting the silent tears fall. Dinner would be soon, but she was so tired, she didn't even realize she fell asleep with Jareth's letter clutched in her hand.

Jareth paced the room. Feyore and Eve were over at least once a week with new information, but nothing was working so far. He was more than confused to say the least to receive a letter, but seeing Sarah's familiar hand writing, he thought it was a dream. He still held to her letter as he sighed sitting upon the bed they had shared. It had been almost a month since the Dark Elf King had taken Sarah, but the pain was as though it had just happened earlier that day.

Dydimus brought up dinner for Jareth every night, though more often than not he didn't touch it. Jareth wouldn't eat in the dining hall alone, it only made him miss being with Sarah more. Every thing reminded him of her, even the damn hallways with which he walked with her. Such a mess he was, and he was no closer to getting her back. He wondered if she had told the Dark Elf King of the supposed traitor, probably not. He had a feeling she would find the traitor before he found a remedy for this curse, and if not, she wouldn't abandon the other King, especially when it meant the fate of the entire underground.

The Dark Elves were a powerful people; if it fell into the wrong hands they could easily and tactfully take out many of the other courts. It had to be a disgruntled citizen, most likely one that held some position in the castle, but whom?

Sarah was awoken by Feryia knocking on the door. Sitting up groggily, she winced, her eyes burning slightly from the tears shed earlier. She had long since requested a mirror, Verdant arguing that she would look beautiful no matter what, but fulfilling her wish.

Going over to the water basin, she washed her face, carefully folding Jareth's letter and leaving it on an out cropping of rock. Deciding that she could pass for just waking up, Sarah opened the door and looked a little surprised to see Verdant standing there, silken robes and all.

"Good evening Sarah, I've come to escort you to dinner myself." Sarah smiled; it was a nice change, though she did like Feryia's company. He offered her his arm, something that he rarely did, but she took it none the less. She debated telling him about her vision, but didn't know if it would help or complicate her situation. "Are you well Sarah?"

"Yes, just a bit tired," Sarah was a bit startled by the question. Did she really look that bad, or was Verdant just a keen observer? He nodded his acceptance of her answer and they walked down a long dark hallway. She was never fond of them, always afraid something was going to jump out at her, and she had never been more right on this instinct.

No more than a few moments after Sarah had thought she saw something move, Verdant shoved her behind him, emitting a low growl.

"It's only I Sire," Sarah heard from behind Verdant's tall frame. That voice was so familiar, looking over Verdant's shoulder, she saw the same laughing, and antagonizing eyes of the Dark Elf that had meant to beat her in her vision.

"You'd do well to remember your post and not go wandering," Verdant said calmly. "What are you doing away from the dungeons anyway, Andan?" Andan narrowed his glowing red eyes slightly, spotting Sarah.

"Just getting away from the screaming for awhile," Andan replied walking casually past, keeping his glaring eyes on Sarah. Verdant felt her grab his arm, as Andan passed. Once he was well out of ear shot, Verdant turned to look at Sarah. She was staring after Andan with a horrified expression on her face.

"It's him," Sarah whispered. How had she not seen it before? Andan had given himself away already and she had been blind to it! _"The Underground will soon belong to us if all goes as planned." _He hadn't been referring to the Dark Elf King, someone else was behind him. That's what went wrong! Jareth was expected to give in so that Sarah would return and not be able to stop them. That didn't happen; who ever this was didn't want a Queen from another Court around while they took down the Dark Elf King.

"What is it Sarah," Verdant said, his red eyes glowing concerned.

"He's a traitor…"

"Sarah how can you know…" but Sarah was quick to cut him off.

"She told me! Asura, she TOLD me, pointed it right out and I… I didn't see it until now," Sarah sighed.

"Queen Asura? The demon queen of the spirit world you mean?" Verdant asked.

"Yes! She's helped me all the way to this point. Oh Verdant, you and the Underground are in great danger!" Sarah hushed her voice, not releasing her hold upon his arm, worry burning in her emerald gaze. "Someone plans to kill you to take the throne; they want to pull the Underground into darkness!" Verdant reached forward and put a hand on her shaking shoulder.

"It is most likely the leader of the Un-Seelie court," Verdant sighed. "When the curse was put upon us, they reckoned with me to join them, but I refused, angering them greatly. They promised one day to take my kingdom by force and I can only imagine now is the time. This may very well be the beginnings of a war between the Un-Seelie court and my kingdom… we alone cannot take them on…"

"…but what if the curse was removed? What if we stop whoever is trying to kill you? I could get the Seelie Court on your side!"

"They would most likely lose interest, but we can't wait around for that. As for putting off whoever is trying to kill me, we would have to know when they are going to attack. Dearest Sarah, I don't know that you would be able to convince them, it will be safest for you if you return to your…"

"NO!" Sarah looked at him incredulously. "That's what they want you to do! I'm the only one in the Seelie court who knows the truth about you! They don't want me around when they kill you, if I leave then you are in even more danger!"

"Alright, alright," Verdant gave in, smiling under the shadows of his cloak from her loyalty. He thought for sure she would run to her room grab her things and be gone before he could blink, but no, here she was. "Write your King, tell him what has happened. I'll bring dinner to you, this is urgent, go!"

Sarah didn't need another warning, before she was running off to her room. Throwing the door opened and leaping to her parchment and quill, she began to write to Jareth.

**Author's Note:**

Oh my, what a mess. Sarah and Verdant had better watch their backs with that goon wandering around working for the Un-Seelie Court. Yea, I didn't really know how this would pan out, but I'm pretty pleased with it. I was wary of the idea of a giant war between the courts, but I was just being lazy thinking about having to write it out should it come to pass. It may or I may have Sarah and Jareth find a solution. Don't worry their reunion is coming soon. Thank you soooooo so so so much to everyone who has reviewed so far, it means a lot to me! As always, keep letting me know what you think and please forgive any errors that slip my eye.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth, or any of characters.

Chapter Fourteen

The Not so Flawless Victory

Sarah quickly finished her letter to Jareth and called Feryia to send it off with the messenger bird. Pacing her room nervously, she thought of everything that had happened so far. What if she failed and Verdant was killed? The Un-Seelie Court would undoubtedly start a war with the Seelie Court to gain control. As far as Sarah was concerned, they had left each other well enough alone.

A moment later, Verdant appeared with a tray of food for Sarah. Bidding her goodnight, Verdant left to write a letter of his own. Sarah would never be safe in his castle. If she got in the way there was a good chance she would be killed. He would write to the Goblin King to tell him to come reclaim his Queen. His resolve hardened at the thought of anything happening to the only true friend he had had in many long years.

Over the next few days, Verdant trained Sarah and spent time with her as though he had not just cut her stay short. No doubt as soon as the Goblin King received his letter, he would be here to take her away. He treasured these last few days with her, taking in every feature, the way her eyes lit up when she smiled or laughed. How he would miss this precious treasure.

"Verdant, are you alright?" Sarah was eyeing him curiously, as he was staring into space. His glowing red eyes blinked and he turned his attention to her.

"Why yes, I was just thinking, that is all."

"What were you thinking of? You were pretty out of it," Sarah said curiously.

_Of how much I am going to miss you…_Verdant thought silently, not responding to her. Then finally, he stood from his chair, offering her his arm, a feeling of satisfaction going through him every time she accepted it.

"Come it is time for dinner," Verdant said, leading her out of the library, their favorite place to sit and talk. Sarah wasn't fooled, she knew something was wrong, but she would let it go for now.

After dinner, Verdant led Sarah back to her room, pausing to look upon her fondly. She merely smiled, and titled her head to the side.

"Goodnight dear Sarah," Verdant said almost a little too sadly.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Sarah asked

"Yes," Verdant replied, his glowing red eyes smiling at her from under his cloak. Sarah smiled seeming to accept his answer.

"Alright, Goodnight then," Sarah said brightly. Verdant sighed as he made his away from Sarah's room.

When Sarah woke up the next morning, Feryia was pacing her room nervously by the door. Sitting up quickly, Sarah watched her worriedly.

"Feryia? What's going?" Feryia seemed startled by Sarah.

"We're under attack Lady, the King ordered me to watch over you until your king arrived," Feryia said.

"What? He means to let me go?" Sarah was panicking. She couldn't leave! She needed to stay here and help Verdant. Just then a loud wolfish howl sounded throughout the castle, causing both women to jump.

"Oh, Lady, please come with me! We must get to the front gate quickly! The castle is being taken!" Feryia didn't wait for Sarah to respond but grabbed her by the hand dragging her down long stone hallways. Sarah looked around, hoping for any sign of Verdant, to know that he was alright. She didn't see him until Feryia had nearly gotten them to the main gate and two dark elves that did not belong to this kingdom appeared. Their appearance was lean and muscled with dark skin and long white hair. They looked quite good, but Sarah was too frightened to take notice.

Sarah and Feryia held tightly to each other's arms, waiting to run, but there was no need. A low growl emanated from behind their attackers and Verdant's towering frame could be seen approaching them. He wore no cloak, baring his long fangs; he was truly a terrifying sight. Sarah had to remind herself that he was the same person. The two Un-Seelie dark elves attacked him, but were taken down, not with out leaving some damage.

Getting a better look at him, Sarah could see that he was bloodied and limping. Her eyes filled with tears at the sight of her dear friend in such a state, but she had no time to worry. Verdant's feral red eyes rested upon her face, and gentleness returned to them for a moment, as he took her up into his boney arms and moved quicker than Sarah had ever imagined, getting her to the front gate.

It all happened so quickly. Verdant left her to stand at the doors, and then Jareth was there running up to her and taking her into his arms, pulling her away. Sarah wouldn't budge; she turned her eyes fixed on the Dark Elf King fighting off Un-Seelie soldiers so that she could get away.

"No! Verdant!" Sarah cried out, not wanting to leave him to fight on his own. After taking down a group of enemies, he turned to her, his eyes wild with concern, pleading, and aggression.

"Take her! Get the hell out of here now! I didn't call you here for a tea party Goblin King," Verdant growled out loudly. Jareth needed no second warning, and picked Sarah up bridal style to carry her out of the castle to where he could use magic to return to the castle. Sarah was reaching over his shoulder to Verdant, tears streaking down her face.

"No, Verdant, please," Sarah sobbed. She saw his cursed face twist in agony and sorrow as she disappeared with Jareth. The next thing Sarah realized was that Jareth had transported them straight into their room. Her shoulders were shaking violently, taking in Jareth's appearance for the first time in over a month's time. Sobs racked her body as she flung her arms about his neck, crying into his shoulder.

Everything came crashing down, surely she had failed. Maybe Verdant would survive, but for now she relished in the feel of being in Jareth's arms again. He moved to sit on the bed, still holding her to him. He wanted to soothe her, calm her, but there was nothing they could do. Even with Feyore and Eve's help, they could not take out the leader of the Un-Seelie Court's army. There was no time to convince the rest of the court, they would never make it in time, they could only hope.

"Jareth," Sarah called weakly, after her sobs had died away.

"Yes love?"

"Did I fail?" Sarah asked. Jareth was startled and sorrowed by her question. He ran his fingers through her hair, kissing her upon the forehead.

"Of course not, you did all you could," Jareth said gently.

"What do we do?" Sarah had just noticed that it began pouring rain outside the windows, falling so quickly that the drops looked like they would be hurt to be caught in.

"We wait for word from him," Jareth sighed.

"What if he…" Sarah couldn't finish that thought.

"Do not think that way, it will be alright."

Sarah moped around the castle all day, not leaving the room she shared with Jareth. She wouldn't even come to see her friends or eat any of the food he brought to her. She just sat upon the bed or paced, worrying, and unresponsive. The possibility of her failure consumed her.

The next day proved no better for Jareth as he tried to rouse Sarah from her lull, but she wouldn't budge. She ate little, and said even less, though it was an improvement from the nothing that she would talk about yesterday. They even lay in bed in silence, Sarah being on her side facing away from him. Neither got much sleep.

On the third day, Jareth was losing his cool, and couldn't handle her aloofness any longer. Cornering her in the room while she paced he grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look in him the eyes.

"Sarah!" Jareth's voice was almost a hiss. "Do you realize how worried we've all been? How… How hard it was for me to share you with that… with the dark elf king? It's been over a month! I've missed you, your friends; even Eve and Feyore want to see you! Sulking around will not help Verdant now, and being depressed about the fact that he saved you makes it seem like a waste! This is not the Sarah who beat the Labyrinth, who is not afraid of any royal. We need her back… I need her back" He almost regretted his words, but they had the desired effect. He watched as her face went from blank and impassive to hurt and angry, and then understanding. Instead of lashing out, the fire in her eyes tamed.

"I'm sorry Jareth," Sarah said softly, causing him to sigh and pull her to him tightly.

"I realize you are concerned and think that you have done wrong, but I think if things had gone awry Queen Asura would have made sure that you knew so by now," Jareth said.

"I know, I've handled this terribly… I just… I guess hoped that if I isolated myself I wouldn't feel as guilty, and it would give Asura a chance to show me something, anything. I usually hear her in my head when I've done something right. Should I have fought harder to stay?" Sarah looked up into Jareth's mismatched eyes with an expression he could not read.

"I think if you were meant to, you would have," Jareth said gently. "Listen to me, you did all you could, I don't want you torturing yourself over this…" Sarah nodded, her head against his chest. "Now would you please, please join me for dinner tonight?"

"Yes, of course," Sarah said with a light smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck to give him a kiss, her fingers tangling in his hair. "I've missed you so much," she murmured against his cheek. She felt him sigh and lean into her.

"I've missed you too my darling, but if you keep this up, we will be far too distracted to make it to dinner," Jareth replied with a smirk. She playfully batted at his arm before taking his hand and leading him out the door.

They walked arm in arm down to the dining hall to a rather delicious meal. The cooks, whomever they were, had really gone out of their way this time. Sarah thought briefly of how odd it was that she had never seen them before. They ate in peace, Sarah talking of her stay in the Dark Elf kingdom. She could see Jareth's eyes tighten as she spoke of her friendship with Verdant, but he endured.

"Your Highness!" Both Jareth and Sarah looked towards the door to the dining hall, having heard Didymus' voice come echoing down the hall. A moment later he bust through the doors, bowing, and panting. "I have a message," he said handing over a burned piece of parchment.

Jareth met Sarah's gaze as she recognized the neat script of Verdant. Unfolding the parchment it read:

_King and Queen of the Goblins,_

_I write to you with news of victory. We've had many losses, and are recovering sluggishly. It is obvious we were not ready for an attack such as that, though I was aware that something of the sort may happen. Thank your Queen for that, if not for her we may have fallen that day._

_I ask a request. I doubt this will be the last time we see the malevolent dark elves, and ask for assistance. I know you do not see me in the best light, but you are the only two allies I have right now. Please consider my plea. _

_Sincerest Regards,_

_King Verdant Xulance of the Dark Elves_

Sarah moved to read over Jareth's shoulder and gasped, gripping his arm.

"Jareth we must help," Sarah cried.

"If it pleases you," Jareth sighed.

"I cannot forget how kind he was to me…"

"Nor can I forget how he stole you from me, Sarah!" Jareth's voice was a growl. "I will help him, only because he is an ally of yours. I will not deny you your own friends"

"You don't know the whole story, or anything about his people," Sarah said getting defensive. "He was just trying to bring solace to some of their pain…"

"…by stealing you?" Jareth was looking at her incredulously, angrily almost. Sarah sighed and shook her head. There was no point in arguing with him while he was still angry with Verdant.

"I'm sorry, he could have been cruel, but he wasn't," Sarah said, resting her hands on his shoulders. Jareth sighed, and lifted one of his hands to rest over hers.

"I do owe him for that, I will do what I can, but you must tell me all of what you know." Sarah was thrilled, she leaned down and kissed Jareth full on. Didymus had long since dismissed himself, so they were alone again.

"Thank you so much Jareth!" Sarah smiled brilliantly as she told him everything she knew. Jareth could not deny that the smile on her face, which had been absent the past three days, was worth it.

**Author's Note:**

Soooo, I didn't kill Verdant, though that would have drastically changed the way the end of the story would be. There are a few more chapters to come, at least one and an epilogue. I'm trying to think of something that will make it easy to come up with sequel material. Anyway, thank you all soooo sooo sooooooooo much for all your reviews. I know this wasn't the swiftest update, I hope you're not too angry with me about that. As always, keep on reviewing, and forgive any errors that slip my eye.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth or any of the characters. Yes, yes, I know. It's a tragedy for all.

Chapter Fifteen

Piece of Heaven

After Sarah had told Jareth everything that Verdant had revealed to her, he simply nodded. She was nervous to the way he would react, but he didn't fly off the handle surprisingly. He seemed almost defeated. This worried her, but finally he spoke.

"We must call a meeting with the court," Jareth sighed out.

"Jareth," Sarah began gently, worming her way onto his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. "If you really don't want to do this… I don't want you to…"

"Sarah, as much as I really just don't like this, we can't let them be taken asunder when they wish to remain good." Jareth wrapped his arms around her waist holding her to him.

"Alright…" She lightly cupped his cheek in her hand, contented when he leaned into her touch. "You know the whole time I was there, a day didn't go by when I didn't wish that I was with you again," she said quietly. "His company kept me sane. If not for that I don't know what I would have done."

"Enough," Jareth sighed, closing his eyes. "I've felt you pulling away from me ever since I brought you back. You used to be able to confide in me, but I feel he not only stole you physically but emotionally away from me. I can't forgive that Sarah; I had no one else to fall back on… I do not ban you from speaking to him because he is your friend, and I do not wish to pull you in half that way," he finished in a more gentle tone.

"Jareth, I… I was never even… If given the chance, I would have come running right back to you, but I couldn't. Not when it seemed so important that I stay around." Sarah forced him to face her, looking into his mismatched eyes with concern.

"It's not that, Sarah. When I brought you back, you wouldn't even let me touch you," Jareth breathed out. "I had already been worried sick over you, and now I could not even comfort you, you preferred that… that…" he trailed off.

"That's not how I meant it. I was just too concerned with where I went wrong, if I did go wrong. It's hard feeling like you may have let the world down. I wasn't thinking about wanting to go back to Verdant because I cared for him more than I did you." Sarah knew that her three day with drawl had hurt Jareth more than she wanted to realize. "I'm sorry," she sighed resting her head on his shoulder.

"Jareth, I love you…"

"Hush love, there is no reason to apologize. You've long since been forgiven, I just needed to understand. I love you." Jareth ran his fingers through her hair, before making them both disappear in a cloud of glitter.

Sarah realized that Jareth had transported them to their bed room. Smiling lightly as he kissed her; making her sit upon the bed. Leaving her there he went to sit at a desk, and pulled out a piece of parchment, quill, and ink.

"What are you writing?" Sarah asked.

"A reply, to say that we will give all the assistance we can. If the Un-Seelie court is able to gain control of the Dark Elves that used to be on our side, then they would have an extra power source; making it possible for them to attack the Seelie court. I will also write to Feyore and Eve and explain everything. As for another court meeting, there is one set two days from now. You must come with me to argue our point," Jareth explained.

"As if I would miss that chance," Sarah said suppressing an eye roll. With Jareth writing away, she went to the bathroom and took care of her nightly ritual of bathing and preparing for sleep.

Dressing in a silken white night gown, Sarah walked up the black marble platform to crawl into bed. Jareth was still scratching along the parchment with his quill; it was lulling her to sleep.

Sarah hadn't even realized that she had almost fallen asleep until she felt two arms wrap around her from behind waking her up a little. Smiling, she turned and snuggled as close to Jareth as she could.

"I've missed this," Sarah mumbled tiredly.

"As have I love," Jareth said, sighing into her hair.

When Sarah awoke the next morning, she found herself still lost in Jareth's arms. It had been one of the best nights of rest she had had in a long while. Looking up to his face, she saw his mismatched orbs returning her gaze mischievously.

"Good morning," Sarah said cheerfully, breaking the silence. Jareth did not reply with words, but kissed her ever so gently, leaving her burning emerald eyes to beg for more.

"Not now, we have the day to ourselves. I sent the letters with Didymus last night, and until the meeting tomorrow, we are free to do as we wish," Jareth said.

"Sounds wonderful," Sarah whispered, wrapping her arms around Jareth tightly, enjoying the moment. This is how their reunion should have been, full of love, closeness and comfort, not despair, distance and worry. In a sense it was the actual reunion, three days ago when he brought her home, her mind was still with the Dark Elf Kingdom. Now, all her senses were focused on the man in her arms, as it should have been.

After another moment, Sarah gently disentangled herself from Jareth's arms and moved to her wardrobe. Dressing in a simple dark green gown, she twisted her hair back and pinned it there with an emerald clip. Smiling at Jareth as he too finished getting ready for the day, they walked arm in arm down to the dining hall.

Breakfast passed by with out a hitch, and they spent most of the afternoon in the gardens, Sarah's favorite place. She talked animatedly about anything that came to her mind, Jareth smiling and nodding most of his replies. It was almost like when he had first brought her here. They continued this way late into the evening, having roamed a good bit of the kingdom. After dinner, Jareth carried Sarah to their bed room to do something with her that he had not been able to for over a month's time.

The next morning they both awoke refreshed, and satisfied. Jareth quickly had Sarah dress in one of the more elegant gowns. It was midnight blue, medieval style, with silver embroidery along the sleeves and neckline. Elda was more than happy to come in and fix her hair up for her. It was clear the maid had missed her company, and she found that she too had missed Elda. Her motherly stature had always been a comfort to Sarah, the way she fussed over her.

Putting on matching jewelry, and a silver tiara placed within the curls upon her head, Sarah was ready to leave. Jareth matched her by wearing the same exact outfit she had seen him wear in the peach induced masquerade dream. Sliding on matching satin slippers, she took his arm. He too had his crown on, a sight she didn't see very often.

Jareth looked at Sarah questioningly.

"Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she replied, glad when his arms came about her. At her nod, they both disappeared in a cloud of glitter, reappearing in front of a large marble building.

Sarah gasped. It was off white with veins of silver running through the fine shiny surface. It had pillars going down the sides, making it look like an old roman court house of sorts.

The stairs were made of the same hard marble, Sarah barely realizing that Jareth was gently pulling her up them. There were all sorts of Fae making their way inside that Sarah didn't recognize at all. Some gave a simple wave to Jareth, while others bowed their heads slightly. Most however, didn't seem to notice him, and he seemed just fine with that.

Sarah was beginning to get nervous. All these people, they all had experience in this court, and she just randomly comes out of the wood work to try and sway their prejudice against the dark elves? This was going to be harder than she could have hoped for. Jareth seemed to sense her distress and reached his free hand over to hold the hand she had on his arm. She seemed comforted by this, but she was still on edge as they made their way through the larger than necessary doors.

The ceiling in side the hall was tall enough for 50 foot giants to make their way un-scathed. It didn't look like it from the outside, but the hall was longer than Jareth's own dining hall, with an even longer table made of the same marble.

The chairs were silver and cushioned, and made no scrapping when drug across the ground. They were already filled with several Fae, most dressed in fine gowns and talking casually to those around them. Sarah felt like such an outsider as Jareth led her to sit at one of the chairs towards the head of the table.

Sarah was relieved to see Eve and Feyore not sitting far from them. She did her best impression of a formal wave that she had seen Jareth receive earlier. Eve seemed amused by her attempt, and waved back childishly, perhaps so that Sarah wouldn't feel so up tight. It had worked. Sarah smiled a little watching Feyore good humouredly roll his eyes at his wife.

Sarah didn't know how long she waited, but eventually every seat was filled. Most Fae who passed Sarah on the way to their seats gave her curious glances, turning to talk to their partners. It made her feel like an animal at the zoo, something for people to gawk at and talk about. While Sarah would avert her gaze to the ground in this situation, Jareth would coolly keep his mismatched eyes on whoever dared to stare too long at his Queen.

Finally, the Fae man that had performed Sarah's coronation/wedding to Jareth entered. He made his way slowly, and yet regally to the head of the table. His chair, Sarah noticed, was a high backed marble chair. It looked like a throne, and had silver cushioning. In the same voice that Sarah had remembered, he called the meeting to order.

"I hereby call this meeting of the Seelie Court to begin at mid-morning," he said. Sarah still didn't know his name, but she could have sworn that maybe she had heard it before and just couldn't remember. "We shall begin this meeting with old business. Anyone?" No one seemed to stir for a few minutes, and then a tall man with fiery red hair stood. He was dressed in gold robes and golden crown.

"The case of the unusually frequent sand storms around the fire kingdom has been solved. The culprit has been punished, and it is now safe to cross our deserts."

"Thank you Pherinze," the head of the council said as the Fire King took his seat. "Anyone else?" Again the room was silent, this time no one stood and the head of council began speaking again. "With so little old business we should be out by lunch," the old Fae quipped, earning a few polite chuckles from around the table. "On to new business then… Anyone?"

Jareth tensed beside her, and Sarah knew that this is the time they would speak. She looked to him nervously, and could see Eve and Feyores' eyes upon them. Finally, when no one else would stand, Jareth did. Immediately, all eyes turned to him, but his expression remained cool and collected. Sarah was more nervous for him than for herself.

"I have new business to discuss with you all. It concerns the dark elves…" Jareth said slowly. An audible gasp sounded around the table, but the council leader seemed intrigued.

"Very Well King of Goblins, speak your news."

**Author's Note:**

I know I took a bit of time on this one, and that it's not that long, but I had a bit of a block. There may be two more chapters. I know I keep saying well one more, well maybe two, but It all depends on how much I put in a chapter and how much more it gives me to work with. So, as always, thank you so very much to all those who have reviewed thus far, It really means a lot to me. Please keep on reviewing, and forgive any errors that slip my eye.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth or any of the characters.

Chapter Sixteen

But Enemies Accumulate

"The dark Elves are not truly as evil or malevolent as my father made them out to be. Their King sent for me to say that he was returning my Queen, because he no longer thought it safe for her. When I went to get her, they were under attack, under none other than Madoc Morfryn," Jareth explained. An outburst of whispers followed his explanation; the only two who didn't look confused were Eve and Feyore.

"That's impossible," A bright crystalline voice said. Looking down the table, Sarah watched a blonde Fae woman dressed in a puffy, light blue, sparkly dress. "What interest would they have!?"

"Easy Krystas," The head of council said evenly. "Please continue Jareth."

"Are you really that blind?" Jareth rolled his eyes, his cool arrogance blatantly obvious in a room of his fellow leaders. "They want to take control of them so they have the extra power source they need to take us down!" Jareth paused, either for effect, or to think out his next statement. "They had just barely won the battle, and no doubt Madoc will not give up so easily. I have an idea that he underestimated them greatly."

"Have you any proof? Will your Queen stand and speak for them? You know we cannot even consider this without two other members to back her story," a dark haired Fae said in a droll voice. He looked older, and had many scars about his face, and a long bushy beard.

"Yes, I will speak," Sarah said standing beside Jareth. He smirked slightly and gestured with his hand, giving the floor to his Queen.

Sarah then recounted everything of importance that happened during her stay. She told them of their village, and how kind they had been towards her. She made a point to tell them everything Verdant had said about Jareth's father, and how it had only been a small group of vandals that had caused all the problems. She then spoke of her ability as a seer and how she warned the king of a traitor. Many Fae had been confused as to why the Dark Elf King would just send her away with out any warning of danger, but this part of Sarah's story explained what Jareth had said earlier. She then told them about waking up while the battle had started and how Verdant had protected her and let her get away with Jareth.

"I believe them, if they were truly cruel, would I be standing whole before you now?" Sarah asked. Her hands were balled behind her back, shaking from nerves. "Was it really just to torture a whole village of people just because of what one group has done?" She looked around the table imploringly. "If you do not wish to help the people for the sake of saving them, then do it for yourselves, your kingdoms. Do you really want to subject your own people to a war if it can be avoided?" The court remained silent as she spoke; showing her respect that normally would have taken months to build. With her story told, she gave one last pleading look around the table before sitting down beside Jareth.

"Very interesting tale Queen of Goblins," the head of council said. "Please, would all who believe her stand so that we may make a final decision?" Sarah's eyes darted around nervously, relieved when Eve practically jumped out of her seat with Feyore standing a bit more regally beside her. She felt her stomach drop looking at all the sitting Fae, but then another Fae couple at the end of the table stood, and then another, and then finally one more. Lastly the head of council stood. Sarah watched him, wide eyed. "Very well, this is more than enough support to send in the face of another attack. I don't believe Madoc would start full war without gaining his final chess piece."

"Thank you King and Queen Feyore, King and Queen Pherinze," Jareth said beginning to thank all those who stood in their support. Sarah looked at the Fire King's wife, she had long flowing fiery red hair to match her husbands, and they looked a good couple. "Thank you as well King and Queen Rivern, King and Queen Flinde, and also you Council Ruler Hydren." Bowing once, Jareth sat back down, as did the other members who had volunteered their assistance. Some of the other Fae did not look very pleased, but kept silent. Queen Krystas remained stubbornly in her seat.

"The Kingdoms who agreed to provide assistance will convene here in one week's time. Start preparing your armies, your people, everything that you need. We will begin planning at mid morning. As for you King of Goblins, write our new ally and tell him to rest easy," Hydren said with a little smile. "Dismissed." With that said all the Fae, angry, indifferent, interested, or happy about the situation, left.

Sarah took Jareth's arm as he walked her to the door, but they were stopped by the council leader.

"You spoke very well today Queen Sarah," Hydren said.

"Thank you," Sarah replied with a small blush. "I didn't know what to expect at all, I was glad that we had a few people willing to be allies."

"Ah, allies come and go, but enemies accumulate dear Queen. Very good Sarah," Hydren said walking away from them. Sarah stared at him, being left in his wake. _Very good Sarah._ Perhaps she had done right after all. No amount of seeing power could have prepared her for speaking to a court of Fae, all just waiting for her to say the wrong thing.

"Are you alright?" Jareth asked. He looked down at Sarah worriedly.

"What? Oh, yes I'm fine, I just, I think we did the right thing." Sarah smiled at him, as he led her outside and transported them both back to the castle.

"Jareth?" Sarah asked.

"Yes love?"

"What did Hydren mean when he said enemies accumulate?" Sarah turned her gaze to meet his mismatched eyes. Jareth sighed before explaining.

"A lot of Fae on the council are still loyal to my father; they believed him completely right in his actions. They were blind fools, and it didn't surprise me that they remained as such. They may not be enemies just yet, but they are certainly not on our side…"

"I see," Sarah said almost disappointed.

"Don't worry yourself about it," Jareth replied, pulling out a piece of parchment. Sarah sighed, changing into a more comfortable dress as Jareth wrote his letter to Verdant. She missed him, but thought that if she made this known too much it would upset Jareth. Verdant was after all, one of the only friends she had up there, even though it was his fault that she was there at all. She couldn't help but miss his company and hope that he wasn't too lonely with out her there.

"Sarah, if you would like to write to him, do not hold off for my sake," Jareth said watching his wife fret unnecessarily over the tie that came back around her sides to fold into a neat bow at the small of her back. Sarah turned and smiled at him.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Sarah asked. Jareth sighed and rolled his eyes.

"We've been through this love, yes I do mind, but he is your friend. I couldn't bear to make you depressed by denying you correspondence," Jareth said in a bored voice. Sarah knew he was only doing this to keep her pacified. Smiling she went over and kissed him gently.

"Not today, I think he will be too pleased with hearing that he has some support to be worrying about me," Sarah said.

"Somehow I doubt that," Jareth replied, taking a hold of her hand and lifting it to his lips to place a light kiss upon her knuckle. This kind of treatment always made Sarah blush; even though she was married to the man from whom she was receiving the affections from.

With the letter written and sent off with Dydimus, Jareth suggested that they take a late lunch and eat in the garden. There weren't any matters of great importance to attend to right this minute, and he still felt at a loss for the month that Sarah had been stolen from him. Of course she loved this idea and quickly slipped on matching light blue slippers to match the summery dress she was wearing. It was august, and she knew she would be running out of time to wear them once winter came around.

While she and Jareth walked to the dining hall to gather the food, Sarah couldn't help but think of Asura. She had not heard from her since the warning of a traitor being around the castle. Perhaps she had to figure the rest out on her own, and Asura was only getting her in the right direction.

"Are you alright?" Jareth asked.

"Hmm? Oh yes, I was just thinking that's all," Sarah replied with a smile. She wanted to ask if he had found any leads on removing the curse, but thought that it may be asking a bit too much right now. He clearly wanted to spend time with her, so she wouldn't push it.

With the food ready, Jareth put an arm around Sarah's waist and transported them to her favorite place in the garden. Throwing the blanket down, they sat together and watched fish jump out of the glassy surface of the small lake, before helping themselves to some of the food.

Days later Verdant had been pacing his room when two knocks sounded at the door. Flinging his arm dismissively in the direction of the heavy stone doors, they flew opened to reveal Feryia standing there with a piece of parchment. For the first time since Sarah had been gone, his dark red eyes widened, actually showing some expression as he hurried over to take the letter.

Feryia dismissed herself as Verdant unrolled the parchment and began reading.

_King of the Dark Elves,_

_Both my Queen and I spoke at your defense at our most recent court meeting. Most Fae attending there were not thrilled with our news, but we had managed to gain five allies to our side. We meet next Wednesday to discuss plans at mid morning. I think it would be wise for you to attend so that we know what is going on in your Kingdom. Since you are technically still banned in the minds of those against us, Sarah and I will escort you to the court building. Please be ready to leave early morning. Sarah gives her kindest regards, and as I'm sure, will write to you herself soon enough. _

_Respectfully,_

_Jareth King of Goblins_

Verdant heaved out a great sigh of relief; he knew that Sarah would pull through for him some how. He also knew that the Goblin King's pleasantries were nothing more than a show to keep her happy.

"She was never truly mine to have," Verdant said quietly. Though he repeated that to himself everyday since her absence, it did not quell the raging jealousy that burned within his chest at the thought of Jareth romancing her and having all her attentions. There was nothing he could do, he would never challenge Jareth. That sort of thing was done only when the Queen was truly in danger or could not live with her King any longer. Since this was not the case, he had to remind himself that he would only be hurting her for his own selfish desires.

Verdant resumed pacing his room. At least with this meeting, he would be able to see Sarah again, if not only to admire her from afar. He assumed that the only other court members that would be there would be those who chose to be allies.

Verdant slumped down in a chair at his desk. He did not need light to see in the dark, his glowing red eyes allowed him to see through it. Besides, when lighted, his room was filled with beautiful golden gilded mirrors. He had been so vain before the curse, but Sarah had proved that at least to one person in the underground, looks did not matter.

There had to be some way to get out of this depressing lull. Ever since Sarah had gone, with her she took away the happiness and companionship that had come with her. She had been the only woman to ever take notice of the man behind the beast. Verdant didn't know that he would ever find that again unless the curse was broken.

With another sigh, Verdant sat down and began writing his reply to Jareth. Once finished it read:

_Jareth King of Goblins,_

_Thank you for all that you have done. I know there is still much to do, but none of it would have been possible without your support. I will be sure to be ready and awaiting you at the front gate. You may assure Sarah that all is well here. _

_Yours in Thanks_

_King Verdant Xulance of the Dark Elves_

With that done, Verdant sighed yet again. Sealing the parchment and summoning Feryia to send it off, he walked the halls of his castle. His feet automatically led him to the room where Sarah had stayed. They often betrayed him this way. Opening the door, everything remained untouched, even by the battle that had ensued before and after she had gone. Closing the door, masking the pain reflecting out of his glowing red eyes, he returned to his room.

**Author's Note:**

Poor Verdant, he misses Sarah, but at least now he has some allies should stupid jerk Madoc try to attack again. Sarah misses her friend, and doesn't want to irk Jareth too much, but it looks like Verdant is starting to miss Sarah in more ways than "just a friend" should. Oh goodness, I am evil, or so I tell myself. Any who, keep on reading and reviewing. As always a big, **huge**, **GIANT** thanks to all those who have reviewed so far!


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth or any of the characters, but if I did, I would share…

Chapter Seventeen

King of Darkness and Daughter of Light

Over the next few days, Jareth disappeared often, much like he had when preparing for hte fight against Verdant's army. He made sure to devote time just for Sarah, and his planning gave her a chance to catch up with Hoggle, Ludo, and Dydimus.

Apparently Jareth had them running back and forth from the library during her absence, thinking they would have to solve the curse before she could return home. Sarah talked and laughed with her friends for a good while, always leaving them at dinner time to be with Jareth.

On the day Jareth sent his letter to Verdant, he sent one to Eve and Feyore. Days later they received a letter from not only their light Elf comrades, but Verdant's as well.

"Why did you write to Eve and Feyore?" Sarah asked. She recognized the familiar writing on the second roll of parchment as that of the light elves, and on that of the other paper, Verdant's hand writing.

"I asked if they would bring Selina," Jareth replied.

"Who is Selina?"

"Their daughter," Jareth said as if it was something Sarah should have known, but smiled gently to her.

"Why didn't I know about this?" Sarah looked slightly alarmed, as though she had missed some bit of really important information. Jareth chuckled slightly.

"Don't worry, Sarah. You'll get to know her. I think you two will get along well. I can't imagine the strategy meetings will be very interesting for you, so I asked them to bring her to keep you company."

"How old is she?" Sarah knew that to be their daughter, she could still be a lot older.

"Hmmm I would say about 540 years," Jareth said with a sigh.

"What?!" Sarah looked even more alarmed.

"Sarah, that's about your mortal age of 18," Jareth explained.

"Oh, well I suppose that sounds right," Sarah said watching Jareth open one of the letters.

"Ah, of course, Selina would be more than happy to come. I don't imagine she gets out very often." Next Jareth opened Verdant's letter, read it once and then handed it to Sarah to read for herself. She really needed to find someone for him, someone like herself in the sense that physical appearance was not so important. Someone more mature, let's face it, she knew she still had it in her to act like a brat about things.

Tomorrow was the meeting between the allies, and Sarah couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She was excited to see Verdant again, but not to be in a room of people with much more authority than her.

After dinner, Jareth escorted Sarah back to their room, saying he had some final planning to finish up before tomorrow. With a sigh, she took a hot bath and dressed for sleep.

Jareth had not returned by the time Sarah walked up the black marble steps to crawl into the comfortable dark blue covers. Sighing contentedly into her pillow, she found sleep came easy. The last thoughts before slumber claimed her were of Irene, Toby, and her Father. She missed them dearly at times like these when she wasn't worried, maybe not so much of Irene, but still. Maybe after all this was settled, Jareth would take her to see them. How would she explain her absence, or what she had been doing? Wasn't part of the deal they forget about her? It had been awhile, she made a mental note to ask Jareth about it later.

The next morning Sarah was awoken, not by Jareth, but by Elda hurrying about the room and throwing the blinds that covered the balcony doors open. Such terrible memories lay beyond those glass doors, of the night she thought she'd lost him for sure. Chasing the thought from her mind, she saw Elda already had a dark blue gown picked out for her. The dress had silver embroidery all about the bodice, and a puffy silken skirt that she would imagine would be hard to drive a car in. Not that it would much matter, she wouldn't be driving a mortal car anytime soon.

Sarah dressed quickly with a little help from Elda, she normally didn't like to dress so formally, but since it was an important meeting, she saw the necessity.

Looking out the glass doorways, the sun was just beginning to rise, but Sarah had gotten used to rising with the sun. Her internal clock had adjusted itself to her new life. After a harsh tug of her hair from Elda, Sarah resumed looking forward, making it easy for the goblin maid to fix her hair up for her.

By the time Elda was finished, Sarah's hair was pulled half up, curls pinned and flowing down. She curled a few loose strands around Sarah's face and picked out matching silver jewelry and tiara to rest lightly upon her head. Lastly, Elda applied a little make up to enhance Sarah's already beautiful face.

With this done, Sarah slipped on a pair of dressier silver laced shoes. No sooner had she done this that Jareth appeared.

"Ready?" Jareth asked. Sarah smiled to see him dressed all in black. He did look quite good in the color.

"Going to a funeral?" Sarah smirked slightly at his choice of color for the day.

"Not at all love," Jareth replied. "I am just in a dark mood." Sarah rolled her eyes; it was either because of impending War or seeing Verdant in a few minutes, probably both.

Once out of the castle gates, Jareth wrapped his arms tightly around Sarah and transported them both just outside the gate to the mountain castle of the dark elves.

Already awaiting them was Verdant, in fine dark red robes. A hood was pulled up about his face, his horns sticking through the silky fabric. A golden crown rested upon his head. His deep red eyes seemed to smile as Sarah waved excitedly, walking over to him quickly.

"Sarah, so good to see that you are well," Verdant said, his dark, growling, metallic voice just the same as Sarah had remembered.

""It's good to see that you are doing alright," Sarah replied. She could almost see the tension emanating from both of them.

"Shall we go?" Jareth asked, doing his best to keep his glares in check. _Stupid jealous men…_ Sarah thought vaguely before offering her arm to Verdant. He walked forward and accepted it, while she grabbed Jareth's outstretched hand. In moments they were before the court house, having arrived a little early.

"Sarah?" Hearing her name, Sarah turned to see a beautiful girl walking out to them. She had long light brown hair that was poker straight. It fell well past her waist, and was cut to frame her beautiful oval face. Her pointed ears could be seen from underneath her hair. Her eyes were a mix of blue and green, more one or the other depending on what color robe she wore. She was dressed in elegant purple robes.

"Selina," Jareth was the first to acknowledge her. A small "Oh" formed at Sarah's lips, so this was Eve and Feyores' daughter. She was freaking gorgeous, but no more than the already obnoxiously beautiful Fae that in habited this world.

"Hello," Sarah said brightly. Selina's features seemed bored, cold almost as if there was something bothering her perpetually, but a smile came to her face. It changed her demeanor from a figure of authority to a welcoming friend.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Selina replied moving forward to kiss Sarah lightly on the cheek in greeting. Eve and Feyore came to stand at the doors of the building, smiling at the two girls as they began talking animatedly to one another.

Jareth smiled, but it quickly passed into a look of indifference, as he remembered he was not in the comfort of his own private room. Verdant seemed enthralled by Selina, but as soon as they had come; he shot down any thoughts of being able to speak to her as Sarah was now.

Clearing his throat, Jareth motioned for Verdant to walk up the stairs, and he introduced the dark elf king to Eve and Feyore. The couple greeted him kindly; seeming un-phased by his appearance, though they had not yet seen what lay under the hood.

Sarah and Selina sat outside on the steps outside the building while one by one the allies filed into the hall until they were all present. Sarah watched as the doors closed behind the last couple of allies.

"What was it like to be kid knapped by the dark elf king?" Selina asked. Sarah could tell it was hard for her to naturally show enthusiasm. She seemed like a calm laid back person, one who could easily deal with a lot and make it seem like nothing. A plan began to form in Sarah's head.

"It wasn't that bad. King Verdant was very kind me actually."

"Have you seen him with out the robes?" Selina was asking out of curiosity. "Not that it really matters to me what he looks like. This is the first I've been able to leave the castle, I'll take whatever company I can get." Both girls chuckled at this statement, becoming fast friends.

Sarah talked excitedly about her stay in the Dark Elf kingdom, and of Verdant's true appearance. Selina perked up a little, becoming more animated as she added her own comments. Sarah thought perhaps Selina would be cold, or even boring from her first impression, but talking to her now she'd never have guessed that she had this side to her.

In return, Selina talked of the Light Elf kingdom. Sarah was hanging off of her every word. She so loved to hear about the other kingdoms.

"You know, I wish I could find someone," Selina said wistfully. "Like you have Sarah, someone who loves me. I know Jareth looks a bit cold, but even in the company of others, it's easy to see how much he loves you." Sarah blushed and shook her head with a grin.

"Don't worry Selina; I'm sure you'll find the perfect person. Someone who will take care of you," Sarah said, her mind drifting. Verdant was protective, and a king no less, he could take care of Selina easily. If only Sarah had seen the way Verdant looked at Selina when he had first seen her, she would have been set on a mission already.

"What are you thinking Sarah?" Selina asked, noticing her new friends far away look.

"Hmm? Oh, I was just thinking about finding you someone," Sarah replied with a devious grin coming to her face. Selina could guess that seeing this look wouldn't be good for her.

Smiling nervously, Selina watched Sarah formulate a plan. They remained in a companionable silence until the doors of the court house opened with a fuming Jareth quickly walking down the stairs. The goblin queen sighed and followed after her moody king.

"Jareth! What's wrong?"

"Your friend is insufferable," Jareth replied, relaxing slightly. Selina watched in confusion as the Goblin King and Queen conversed.

"Don't be ridiculous, that's just because you hate him," Sarah said rolling her eyes with a smirk, a trait she picked up from Jareth.

"Right, well Eve and Feyore just love him, so they can take him back," Jareth spat, though it was obvious his distaste was no directed towards her. Sarah sighed.

"You can't just dump that on the-…" Sarah trailed off mid sentence thinking about Selina. Jareth raised a brow, catching on that his Queen was up to something. "Well if they won't mind, but I don't want Selina to leave just yet!"

"Sarah, I'm sure Eve would love to have you over whenever you want." Jareth's eyes darkened. "I on the other hand do not wish to share you again just yet." Sarah smiled, as he wrapped his arms around her. She automatically tried to sweet talk him.

"Please?" Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him her best pout. "It's the first relatively human girlfriend I've had here. I just want to spend time with her," she said. Her deep emerald eyes burning, knowing Jareth wouldn't be able to resist. He sighed and she knew she had won.

"Fine, clear it with them," Jareth replied, gently running his fingers through her hair. "Don't stay away too long. If you need me, just call, I'll come running," he said kissing her upon the forehead. This was very unusual for public behavior as far as he was concerned.

"I won't be long," Sarah replied as she leaned up to meet him in a kiss. Smiling with glee, she gently pulled from his embrace and hurried over to Selina.

"Do you think your parents would mind me tagging along?" Sarah asked. She hated to just invite herself like this, but it was impertinent to her plan. Selina's normal cold, bored look that had some how returned while Sarah was talking to Jareth, disappeared as she grinned.

"Mind? My mother talks of you endlessly, she'd love it! My father has no complaints so I don't see why not," Selina replied, quickly bounding up to her parents. Sarah couldn't help but feel like she was ten years old again, asking to go over to a friends house.

Selina walked back over to Sarah smiling saying it was a go. Sarah turned and smiled at Jareth and gave him a little wave. He smirked before disappearing in a cloud of glitter. Verdant walked out behind Eve and Feyore, waiting quietly. He felt like such a young boy, always having to be escorted everywhere. It was embarrassing. His eyes quickly scanned out Selina talking to Sarah, and he couldn't help but grow nervous as he watched his friend bring the beautiful light elf his way.

"Verdant," Sarah almost sang out. "I'd like to introduce you to my new friend Selina. Selina, this is King Verdant of the dark elves." Eve and Feyore talked to the other couples of allies before they departed to their home kingdoms.

"It's a pleasure to meet you my lord," Selina said politely going into a graceful curtsy. Sarah mentally groaned, wishing she had acquired that grace. Upon tripping up the stairs on many an occasion, even weeks after she had turned Fae, it was obvious grace was not apart of the immortal package.

"The pleasure is all mine, milady," Verdant replied sweeping into a low bow.

"Why don't we spend the day together?" Sarah looked between the two, and almost laughed at the expression she saw in Verdant's eyes. "Oh come on! I haven't seen you for a week or so, surely you've missed me!" Sarah didn't know how right she was as Verdant painfully recalled how lonely it had been without her there.

"I wouldn't mind the company," Verdant replied.

"So it's settled! Eve and Feyore will take us to your kingdom and we'll just hang around!" Sarah could see her plan unfolding already. Oh this plan was genius! Surely Eve and Feyore wouldn't mind as long as they knew Selina was with Sarah.

**Author's Note:**

So, Sarah didn't have to be bored out of her mind with strategy plans. It seems that Selina has become a fast friend, and Verdant may not be so lonely from now on. Oh come on, it was either kill him or find him a girl. Goodness! Or I could be terribly, horribly, awfully evil and well… You'll just have to wait and see! As always thank you so much to all my **wonderful, ****amazing,**** reviewers!** Keep on letting me know what you think!


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I still do not own the Labyrinth or any of the characters. Most likely never will.

Chapter Eighteen

Hit or Miss

Eve had no problem leaving the girls with Verdant, Feyore though seemed skeptical because of the recent attack, but did not object.

"Jareth would have my head if he knew I left his Queen here," Feyore said with a smirk. Eve smiled as he transported them both back to the light elf kingdom.

"Then we shall be sure he doesn't find out about this," Eve said once they were in the throne room of their own kingdom. Turning, she walked away.

"Where are you going?" Feyore asked.

"To find a way to reverse the curse of course. With all the information Jareth has given us, I'm sure I can come up with something," Eve replied turning a corner. Feyore smiled, one of the few times expression had really crossed his face. It was easy for anyone to see that Selina's face of authority came from her father, and her friendly bright side from her mother.

Verdant led the two girls through the castle gate feeling slightly awkward. He had never had this much female company before, even before the curse. Sarah was no problem, he enjoyed being with her, but Selina was another story. He didn't know her at all; he didn't want to react stupidly. _For God's sake Verdant you're a king! You shouldn't be worrying about such nonsense, she could never see past your image. …but Sarah has… _A voice somewhere in the back of his mind reminded him that the equally beautiful Goblin Queen had come to accept him, so why not Selina? What made this girl so different?

"So Verdant, how have you been?" Sarah was the first to break the silence. She could tell Selina was trying her hardest not to let her expression fall back into the cold intimidating face of her father.

"As well as I can be," Verdant began sadly. "We've suffered many losses, but we are recovering from the attack. It means so much to my kingdom that you and your kingdom have come to our aid."

"Don't be ridiculous; as if I would just sit around and let a friend down!" Sarah smirked slightly, causing Verdant's glowing red eyes to smile. Side glancing, Sarah watched as Selina kept looking at Verdant, wanting to say something. _Hmmmm…_ "Verdant, come here a minute," Sarah said pulling him by his shoulder a few feet away from Selina. She hated to leave her new friend out, but maybe if she played it off right things could get going better. "Listen, Selina can be kind of shy," _total lie_ her mind screamed, "so would you mind talking to her a little?" Verdant watched his friend curiously for a moment before nodding. They quickly made their way back over to a confused Selina.

"Is that Feryia?" Sarah asked squinting down the hall. With out waiting for an answer she hiked up her long blue gown and dashed down the long dark hallway successfully leaving Selina and Feyore alone.

"It must be awfully lonely here," Selina commented trying to make conversation.

"It is," Verdant sighed.

"I'm sorry, it was foolish of me to bring something like that up," Selina said berating her brilliant choice of words for breaking the ice.

"No, please, it's quite alright. It's really not so bad, but every once in awhile, it would be nice to have more company than just my subjects," Verdant said.

"I can kind of understand," Selina replied. "I hardly ever get to leave the castle, only for formal affairs, or in this case Jareth wanting Sarah to not be bored." She realized her statement could be taken two ways. "It's not that I wasn't happy to get out, and I'm very glad to have a new friend outside of the castle, I just wish I had my own choice."

"I do too," Verdant replied, effectively making Selina feel a little selfish. At least she wasn't under some curse right?

"Listen, Verdant, I can't imagine what it's been like for you, but please know that I'd be happy to help anyway I can."

"That means a lot to me, thank you Selina," Verdant replied, a smile evident in his eyes.

Around the corner Sarah watched her two friends' converse, smiling to herself at her handy work. With a sigh she let herself wander away, giving them some privacy. Her wanderings successfully brought her back to the room she had stayed in while Verdant had kept her here.

A million thoughts ran through Sarah's head about the malevolent dark elves, and what could possibly go wrong. The worst possible out comes came to mind; most she couldn't even fathom actually coming to pass.

After some time had passed Sarah pulled herself from her thoughts and followed the sound of voices back to her two friends. They didn't even seem to notice her at first until Selina looked up with a smile.

"Hey Sarah," Selina called. Sarah smiled as she closed the distance between them.

"Not to cut our time short, but we should probably head back," Sarah said, hating to break up their bonding time. They probably hadn't even realized how late it was becoming, it was almost time for dinner, and Jareth would be more than irritated if she didn't return soon.

"Oh, you're right!" Selina appeared slightly alarmed herself. "We really do need to get going. We'll talk again soon Verdant," Selina said looking just a little too sad to be leaving his company.

"It's quite alright," Verdant replied. Walking them to the doors, he bowed low. "Til we meet again…"

Selina smiled taking hold of Sarah's arm and transporting her back to the Goblin Kingdom.

"So how was it, what do you think of him?" Sarah just couldn't wait; they had barely just appeared in the bedroom before her mouth was running. Selina blushed slightly.

"Oh, he's very kind, I do enjoy talking with him," Selina said. Sarah had to control her giggles; Selina was adorable when she was bashful.

Over the next few months, Selina and Verdant had grown much closer, often spending time together with out Sarah. Jareth had no problem when Sarah would choose to sit out on being with her friends. He had long since found out that they weren't going to Eve and Feyore's kingdom, and though very displeased, did not stop his Queen. When her mind was set on something, nothing could stop her.

Time seemed to fly so quickly, they hadn't been able to convince any more members of the court to join their allegiance, but the plans were turning out nicely. Sarah smiled every time she saw Verdant and Selina together. It was truly endearing to see him lead her around the castle with such a kind vigilance.

Eve had been the first to catch on to her daughters growing affections. Though Feyore was somewhat aware, he seemed more prone to ignore it. Jareth, knowing it was Sarah's planning was just happy that he wasn't forced to share his wife with Verdant as often.

Sarah had started spending afternoons with Selina in the Gardens at Jareth's castle. They often alternated kingdoms when visiting. Verdant would often rain check when it came time for them to visit in the Goblin Kingdom, and with Jareth around it was no wonder why. Verdant simply wanted to keep things as peaceful as possible.

It was on this day, months after not being plagued with visions of any sort that Sarah found herself drifting away. Her brow furrowed as she grabbed Selina's arm for support. _What could I possibly have to see…?_ Sarah wondered briefly.

"Selina… I… I need you to get Jareth," Sarah murmured out, falling to her knees, her eyes completely glazed over. Selina had experienced visions and knew it took a long time of practice to be able to stay partly conscious through the vision.

"Hold on Sarah," Selina said, grabbing hold of her friend and transporting them to Sarah's bed room. She laid her down before hurrying off to find the Goblin King.

When Sarah finally came around, Jareth, Selina, and Eve were gathered worriedly around the bed. She eyed them warily, what a horrid vision it was, she almost burst into tears right on the spot. Jareth, ignoring the others present, moved to her side and grabbed her hand.

"It's alright Sarah, tell us what you saw," Jareth said. Tears began falling freely as Sarah tried to find her voice.

"I… It…" Sarah stumbled over her words.

"It's alright Sarah, take all the time you need," Selina said supportively.

**Author's note:**

Alright, I know it's really short. Yes, this means I finally have my effing laptop back! Ah, I was sooo happy. Anyway, review and let me know what you think and to let me know that you're still with me!


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the labyrinth or any of the characters.

Chapter Nineteen

Joker and the Thief Reprise

Sarah looked to concerned faces around her. With everything that was going on, even had she been allowed, could she really trouble them with this new vision? She hadn't been plagued by the future for months, and now this? With a sigh she shook her head.

"I can't… It was just a white shadow," Sarah lied. Selina and Eve exchanged looks, but Jareth's gaze bore into her. "It's nothing to worry about honestly…"

"Sarah you should really tell us just in case," Selina coaxed.

"No really, I promise it wasn't anything worth thinking over." Sarah looked around to see the disbelieving looks, but the girls seemed to let it drop. She sighed. How many times had she been irritated with Jareth for keeping things from her?

"Would you please leave us for a moment," Jareth said, startling Sarah slightly. Selina and Eve left the room slowly, giving one last look before they closed the door. "Sarah…"

"Listen I know alright," Sarah sighed. "I shouldn't be keeping this a secret but it's just stupid to tell you when it's not even that bad," she lied again. Jareth sighed, deciding it might be best to leave his Queen to her thoughts for awhile, maybe she would come around.

"You trust me don't you?" Jareth asked quietly. Sarah looked up in surprise. Slowly she reached out and took his hand.

"Of course I do." She leaned forward to kiss him lightly. "Please don't be angry. I just need to sort this out for myself."

"If that is what you wish, I'll leave you for now," Jareth as he kissed her upon the forehead. "…but should you need me…"

"I'll call you first thing," Sarah finished with a small smile. With his departure, Sarah felt a pressure dissipate from her mind. The vision replayed in her head; it was no white shadow.

_Sarah was walking the battle field; it was with Asura, though she said nothing to her. A man in black armor, looking like the Un-Seelie court dark elves, was walking straight towards her vision self. _

_"Have you brought what I requested?" The man asked. Sarah watched herself nod and pull a small blue glowing orb from her robes. "Then I shall leave them all alive, and remember, you are to hold up the final stipulation of this agreement. If you fail to become my Queen, I will destroy everyone in this blasted underground that you have ever known or cared about…" _

_"Sarah," Asura now spoke from her side, allowing the girl to hold gently to her arm. "You must not tell anyone of what you have seen here, it is crucial to the shift this world is about to endure. Do not fret, things will eventually turn out the way they should be." _

_"I understand," Sarah said, tears streaming down her face as she felt herself pulling away from the spirit realm._

What a horrid thing to see, but if Sarah could ensure the safety of those she cared about, she would do anything. She could only wonder when the King of enemy elves would try to contact her. Asura had assured her that things would return to the way they should be; surely she could suffer a little to save them. What if the way things were supposed to be, had nothing to do with her being with Jareth? She couldn't even fathom that, she wouldn't. To endure the trials that were to inevitably to come, she would have to be strong and think positively.

Somewhere in another Kingdom dark laughter could be heard resonating around the room.

"Sire you know the penalty for interfering in the spirit world," a raspy voice reprimanded.

"Yes, I know very well, but Asura has nothing on me. Besides, the girl would never even hear my message unless I gave her reason to… If she's anything like the stories make her out to be, she will do anything to save the pathetic lives of her friends. Also, it will give us a willful Queen…"

Sarah went through the majority of the day undisturbed. Eve and Selina had returned to their kingdom, and Jareth seemed to be avoiding her on purpose. She found this more irritating than usual. He didn't even show up to dinner which concerned her considerably, and found herself even more irritated.

Heading to bed, she found that Jareth was not there either. Sarah heaved a sigh and plopped down on the bed. Sleep refused to come, as she tossed and turned. Hours passed, and then there was a disturbance. She was not surprised, sitting up, she looked around calmly.

"Mistress," a scratchy voice called out. Sarah knew this voice, and then knew exactly who it was when she heard a second voice.

"We has a message for you," the second said. It was the Joker and the Thief.

"I've been expecting you," Sarah said blandly. It was too dark to see the hideous smirks upon their faces. "What is it…"

"He has the ultimate weapon to use against your army," Joker said.

"Why are you telling me this?" Sarah asked.

"We need something from you, and the un-seelie king has given his word that he will leave your people un-harmed if you agree," the thief explained.

"Just how am I supposed to trust this word of his?" Sarah narrowed her eyes, she knew she had to do this, but might as well convince herself first.

"There will be a signed document if you wish, not tricks or hoaxes and he encourages you to read through it…" the joker all but laughed out.

"What does he want?"

"You will find out all in good time, are you willing to see him?" The thief asked.

"Yes, but in a neutral place and alone," Sarah said defensively.

"We wouldn't expect anything less of a bright woman such as you," the thief said.

"If that is all, just go away," Sarah sighed.

"As you wish mistress," the two said together, disappearing quickly.

With their departure, Sarah could feel a cloud of evil and dread descend upon her. Curling up in bed, she feigned sleep.

Jareth had fallen asleep over his desk. That was completely unusual. He sat up quickly, the spell lifting as the Joker and Thief left his kingdom. It couldn't have been an intruder, he would have known right away. Sarah didn't seem distressed, just a bit down. He still felt uneasy. Disregarding his plans for the night he appeared in their bedroom.

Sighing in relief, Jareth smiled to see Sarah looking to be asleep. Deciding it would be best to just turn in for the night, he climbed in beside her, turning on his side to drape his arm over her waist.

"I love you," Jareth whispered sweetly into her ear, closing his eyes and falling asleep. Sarah bit down on her lip to keep from crying out, from turning and throwing her arms around him and sobbing. Whatever was to happen, it would not turn out as well as when Verdant had abducted her. She knew that she and the enemy Elf King would not become friends.

Letting out a sigh, Sarah turned smoothly in his grasp hiding her face in Jareth's chest, her soul comforted at his presence even in sleep. She let all thought drift from her mind as she allowed herself to be consumed in his aura.

Though comforted, Sarah still couldn't sleep. All that she could think about was her love sleeping with her and the people she all considered family in the underground. Selina could easily be her sister. Eve was like the fun sort of aunt that took you shopping; Feyore the silent but amused uncle. She didn't really know where Verdant was in this whole picture. He was like a family member whose relation you never remembered, but just got along with. She hoped dearly that he and Selina would become even more attached, and perhaps someday marry.

After hours of random thoughts and memories, Sarah finally felt herself drift off, but not before whispering: "I love you too…"

**Author's Note:**

Alright another chapter. Not as long as some of them but longer than the last, or so I tell myself. But anyway, check out the last chapter if you haven't already and review and let me know what you think!


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Labyrinth.

Chapter Twenty

All I'm losing is Me

By the time Sarah had woken up the next morning, Jareth had already left her. Letting out a yawn, she wondered what time it was. Stretching out in a feline like manner, Sarah looked out the window to the position of the sun; it seemed to be about noon. She sighed as the feeling of peaceful ignorance from morning sleepiness left her, and her situation came crashing back down upon her.

Sarah would not cry as she got ready, nor would she show that anything was wrong when she met with Jareth for lunch. They had another meeting with the allies, and Sarah didn't know how she would react to being around everyone. It was hard enough to keep up a convincible façade around Jareth.

He was no fool, nor was he blind; Jareth could sense Sarah was distressed about something. Deciding it would be best not to bother her at the moment, he chose to take her silence as companionable. When finished, he stood, pulling her chair out for her.

"Is it time already?" Sarah mentally winced as she let a bit of weariness seep through her voice. Jareth stared into her eyes, but she averted them quickly.

"Sarah…" Jareth said in a pleading whisper as he moved to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "What troubles you so? This darkness doesn't suit your radiance." Sighing, Sarah leaned back into his embrace.

"It's nothing; I'm just worried about every thing that's going on." Sarah was appalled at how easily the lie slid from her lips, at least it was not meant with malicious intent. Wasn't lying supposed to hurt more? She had clearly inherited her mothers acting. She felt his chest heave in a sigh as he said nothing more; placing a comforting kiss to her temple before transporting them to the courtroom.

Upon arriving, Sarah plastered a smile to her face, watching Selina chat idly with Verdant. It didn't take long before Verdant's glowing red eyes were smiling at Sarah as Selina just about jumped over the table to greet her.

"Hello Sarah," Selina said almost unsurely. 

"Hello," Sarah replied with a smile. "Let us go wait outside, its lovely outside." Selina nodded her agreement as Sarah linked her arm with hers and the two girls walked outside. Selina sensed that Sarah was being guarded though she gossiped with her as though her vision had not upset her in the least and nothing had happened.

"Sarah?" Selina finally stopped Sarah with her incessant distracting talk. Usually Selina loved to chat with her friend, but something was wrong. The longer the conversation went on, the more Selina wondered. Grasping Sarah's hands in both of her own, Selina's blue green eyes searched Sarah's emerald ones. "Please… I know there is something wrong. Those fools in the court room may be oblivious, but this isn't right. There is a great weight upon you; I can almost see it upon your shoulders. What happened?"

Sarah's face fell, her eyes slightly wide. Maybe she could put off the rest of the allies, but Selina, was not so easily dissuaded.

"Selina you are my very closest friend. I'm just worried about everyone's safety." Sarah returned her friends gaze, hoping that the honesty of that statement alone shone through to her. With a sigh, Selina nodded.

"If you are sure," Selina said.

"I am."

"Promise?" Selina looked so hopeful.

"Yes, I promise," Sarah replied, not having to force the smile the came to light her face.

With that said, comfortable silence settled between the two. Sarah kept a carefree smile on her face as she dwelled on her fate, while Selina stressed over what else to say.

"Selina?" The girls had been quiet for some time, and it had been Verdant that had brought their attention back to the courthouse that loomed behind them. Sarah did not fail to see Selina's eyes brighten at the sound of his voice, or the gentle tone Verdant used when he called for her.

"It's alright, go," Sarah said encouragingly.

"Are you sure?" Selina asked. With a smile and nod from Sarah, Selina's face relaxed into one of thanks as she gathered her skirts up and stood to go meet Verdant.

Moments later, Sarah felt Jareth's presence behind her. A gentle smile remained on her face as he sat down behind her pulling her back into his embrace. Who knew when that blasted devil king would call on her, why worry them and ruin the time she had remaining. She was far too stubborn and valiant to trouble them with this burden she found her own.

"Are you ready to go home?" Jareth asked.

"Yes," Sarah sighed out with contentment, resting her hands on his as they came about her waist. With out moving his hold on her or saying another word, Jareth transported them back to the castle beyond the Goblin city.

"_How DARE you!"_ Asura's voice rang shrill and true through the malevolent King Madoc's head. _"What gives you the right to bind me in my own realm and intervene in the lives of others?!"_ Madoc sighed; Asura was brilliant at screaming him into head aches.

"It's just good business, I needed to sway her, besides you have already shown her something of the sort," Madoc said in a bored voice.

"_That was my decision to show her! It was never to come to pass, only to see if she were true enough to sacrifice herself. You… You have crossed the line! When the fates find out…"_

"What do you mean when?" Madoc laughed madly. "Don't you mean if? Come now Asura, you know what power I hold over you, and I can destroy you if you interfere. She had thought that the vision was from you, and she blindly trusted your copy into not telling anyone. I'll have her Asura, no one else will do. Besides, what better way to destroy an enemy than by going straight for the heart…"

Sarah was cradled in Jareth's arms on the bed. They had hastily skipped dinner and gone straight to bed. It had been awhile since they had let their heated passions get the best of each other, but it had been a wonderful release indeed.

Sarah savored the moment, listening to Jareth's even breathing beside her. Leaning up she kissed him on the lips ever so lightly, not waking him from his slumber. With a gentle sigh, she stood up and got dressed in simple cotton gown. Brushing through her hair, it instantly tamed and the slight frizz disappeared.

Moments later The Queen of Goblins could be seen wandering down the halls. She made only one stop before she made her way outside to the gardens to answer to the nagging cloud that had been present in the back of her mind since this morning.

Sarah didn't even have to wait long, there were two dark elves waiting for her by the lake and they did not look friendly, but they were not from the Un-Seelie court. They were not the beautiful dark elves, but those cursed within Verdant's court. How safe could he possibly be with so many traitors, perhaps he would be alright, if she did as she was told. With a sigh she stopped in front of them.

"Evening Mistress," the dark elf closest to her said. "Have you the item?"

"Yes, let us just go," Sarah sighed out.

"As you wish Mistress," The second dark elf said. Sarah felt in the pocket of her robe for the glowing blue orb. It was warm to the touch and seemed to pulse slightly. The two Dark elves moved to stand on either side of her gently taking her by the arm.

No sooner had Sarah disappeared from the grounds of the Labyrinth that Jareth rolled over in his slumber, waking to find that his Queen was no longer at his side. He did not sense her distress; but there was something horribly wrong, because he didn't sense her at all. Panic over took his features as he dressed hastily and began searching the castle, waking all.

Hoggle, Ludo, and sir Didymus were running frantically about; splitting up to search the town.

"Where is she!?" The Goblin King hissed, pacing about, sending word to Eve and Feyore, he grudgingly even sent word to Verdant of his Queens disappearance. He would not have reacted so badly as long as he could still feel her presence around the castle, but she was gone with out any trace. He could not endure it should she be taken from him again. It was the same, he could feel the presence of something that didn't belong, but could never place it. Just like the first time she was taken…

**Author's Note:**

Oh gosh, long time no see eh? I am sooooooooo freaken sorry it took me this long update. But I am on Christmas break and can promise more updates. If you're still alive out there, please review and let me know what you think. As always, please forgive any reviews that have slipped my eye.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from the Labyrinth.

Chapter Twenty-One

His Heart

Sarah was quick to take in her surroundings once she and the two dark elves reached their destination. She recognized where she was instantly. She was in the battle field from her vision, only it was nothing more than that, a field. Behind her, she recognized the forest where she first had the misfortune of meeting the fire gang. She was just outside the grounds of the Labyrinth. The dark elves disappeared, just as the malevolent elf king made his presence known.

"Have you brought what I requested?" Madoc asked. Sarah nodded and pulled the blue orb from her pocket, much like she had in her vision. "Then I shall leave them all alive, and remember, you are to hold up the final stipulation of this agreement. If you fail to become my Queen, I will destroy everyone in this blasted underground that you have ever known or cared about…"

"Before I give this to you, will you tell me what it is?" Sarah asked. She held the orb close to her, not willing to hand it over just yet. It was in a locked room of the castle, and only herself and Jareth knew how to enter. He never told her what it was, but it must have been important. Surely he would forgive her if he knew she was trying to save them all. Madoc started laughing at her.

"Oh, you poor girl. You've simply no idea how rich this is." Sarah bristled.

"Your minions didn't tell me that you wished me to be your Queen," she spat, changing the subject.

"No, but you have the gift of foresight, have you not? You saw…"

"What does that have to do with anything? They could have said something. Those are your stipulations, and unless I want everyone who means anything to me die then I have to do what you ask. I want to know what this weapon is, and I want to know why you needed this orb. I refuse to go anywhere until I know exactly what is going on," Sarah said. The malevolent king smirked at her. He could clearly see how this girl had defeated the labyrinth.

"_Sarah, NO!"_ A searing pain went through Sarah's forehead. It was Asura. It did not go unnoticed by Madoc that her visage was suddenly pained.

"Is she talking to you?" Madoc asked. His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Is 'who' talking to me?" Sarah, was flawless in her transition, thankful again that she had inherited some acting talent from her mother.

"Never mind…" Madoc replied. He then went into an explanation about the things she asked of him. Sarah kept her eyes focused on Madoc, as though she were paying the utmost attention to him.

"_Sarah," Asura's voice was calm, but she could still pick up on some anxiety. "Just listen. Madoc has tricked you. You need to get out of here and back into Jareth's kingdom. Whatever you do, do not let him have the orb you posses. If you can just reach the forest, the wards around the Labyrinth will not allow Madoc to follow you. The truth is that Madoc does posses a weapon that could destroy everything, but he needs the orb you posses to make it work…"_

"Are you listening girl? I will not take no for an answer…" Sarah had not paid attention to one word Madoc had spoken, but her face was convincing enough that he had not suspected Asura's presence again. Sarah sighed, and looked to be in great contemplation over his answer. She was highly confused, but thought it was best to get back to Jareth anyway. She should have just confided in him in the first place regardless of anything the real or fake Asura might have told her. It was too late for that now, she had to find a way out of this. "Well? I'll take you by force if I must…" Sarah held her head up high, the orb still held close to her. She was close enough to the border, maybe if she just turned and ran. Though her transportation had improved, it would take her far too long to build her concentration, there was only one way to do it. If she could just make it the ten feet to the forest, she would be safe.

"Forgive me; this is a rather hefty decision," Sarah said.

"There is no decision. You will either come peacefully of forcibly." Sarah sighed stalling for time. There were a lot of questions that needed answered, like why the wards would block Madoc but not the other dark elves. She didn't know what to believe, but right now she didn't have a choice.

"I… I…" Sarah stuttered taking a step back. Madoc's eyes were narrowed and no sooner had he moved his hand towards her that she turned and fled. She heard him swear loudly and he was upon her in seconds, she was so close. Her eyes widened in terror, as he reached for her. In her haste, she conjured a crystal unlike any she had been able to before. It was dark green. She whipped the crystal into his face causing him to yell out in pain and fall to his knees, but not before grabbing the edge of her dress and ripping the fabric. Sarah paid no mind to this and kept running well into the forest. Hopefully Asura wasn't wrong in her information. Surely Madoc was not stupid enough to try and hunt Sarah down in her own kingdom. He really had not chosen well in their meeting place. She kept running until a root tripped her and brought her crashing down into the dirt. The blue crystal remained tight within her grasp. "Jareth!"

His name had barely left her lips before said Goblin King was kneeling before her.

"Sarah," he sighed her name out in relief. He was looking her over, taking in her appearance. "Are you hurt?" Her cheek had a smudge of dirt smeared across it from when she fell. His eyes narrowed as he saw her torn and dirtied dress. Tears fell from her eyes as she threw her arms around him. He was quick to wrap her up in his arms, smoothing her hair back to soothe her. She felt him relax once she was within his hold and he wasted no more time in taking her back to their rooms.

"Sarah?' Jareth's voice was as gentle as he could make it. She continued to sob into his chest, unwilling to relinquish her hold upon him. She could have quite possibly doomed them all instead of saving them.

"I'm so sorry," Sarah said. Her voice was so pained he almost couldn't bare to listen to it. "He lied… somehow he… lied. I thought it was Asura… I thought…." Jareth hushed her wish a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"It's alright now, it's alright." She was shaking, trying so hard to rein it in. Finally she just completely relaxed in his embrace. "Sarah, what happened, did he hurt you?" Jareth prodded gently.

"No… my dress was the only casualty." She was relieved at the slight smirk he gave. Taking a deep breath, she explained everything from the vision she saw, to hearing Asura in her mind, and then fleeing back into the grounds of the Labyrinth. Jareth was silent for a long time, absent mindedly stroking her hair.

"I knew Madoc had great powers, but to be able to subdue Asura, that is quite a feat." She felt his chest heave a sigh. "To put it simply, you were lied to, and Madoc almost succeeded. Do you know what the blue crystal is?" Jareth asked. Sarah lifted her tear stained face to his before shaking her head no. He smirked, never once did he try to pry the orb away from her. "It is what keeps me bound to the Labyrinth, how I can communicate with it. Why I found you in the first place. It is a life force of great power, It is my heart." He gently rested her head back to his chest, and she listened as the beat of his heart matched the slight pulsing of the blue orb. Her eyes widened slightly as she pulled away to meet his gaze again.

"I don't understand…"

"Should I die before an heir is produced, the Labyrinth would die with me," Jareth explained. "My power is directly connected with it. Should it fall into the wrong hands of someone who would exploit its power, it is a formidable weapon. That is why you're the only other person who knows how to reach that room. It is the safest place in the castle." Sarah's mouth was slightly agape.

"Why… are… you're not furious with me?" Sarah questioned. Jareth chuckled at her horrified expression, and lifted the hand that she held the orb with.

"No, I'm not angry. I knew it'd be safe with you," he whispered in to her ear. It was the first place he had gone when Sarah had gone missing, but while she was still close to the Labyrinth unless she was within its boundaries, he couldn't sense her.

"Why didn't you ever tell me before this?" Sarah lifted her free hand to caress his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.

"I had planned on it, but the opportune time never came around," Jareth replied.

"Is it true that the wards around the labyrinth will keep Madoc out?" Sarah asked.

"Yes."

"Then how is it that joker and the thief could get in?"

"It is because though they are traitors they are still apart of Verdant's court… which in itself is not evil. The Labyrinth however will not let any of the un-seelie court in," Jareth explained. It was impossible to keep every single un-wanted being out, but it kept the most dangerous at bay. "I raised the alert," he said off-handedly.

"What?" Sarah asked as she leaned back into his embrace.

"I expect Eve, Feyore, Selina, and Verdant will be here soon."

"I'm sorry, I should have just told you from the start what was happening," Sarah said with a sigh. "I wish that I had."

"It's alright. You were just trying to save us," he soothed. "Promise to confide in me next time?" Sarah smiled and leaned up to meet him in a kiss, her free hand running through his hair.

"I promise."

"May I?" He asked holding his hand out for the blue orb. Sarah nodded and handed it to him. "I'll be back." He gently set her on the bed and disappeared and was back before she could blink. She knew that he went to return the orb to where it belonged.

"What are we going to do… he's not going to give up so easily…" Sarah began. Her brow furrowed in worry. Jareth walked back over to her and took her up into his arms. It was if he were afraid that she was going to disappear again if he wasn't holding her here. She wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Don't worry yourself about it tonight, my dear Sarah," he said quietly to her, relieved to have her safely in his arms again. "I often times think it may be safer for you above." At this her head shot up.

"No! Don't you dare send me away!" Sarah took his face in her hands. "I'm never leaving you again. I don't care what Asura says." He smirked, pulling her close and kissing her.

"Never?"

"Never ever," she swore. "I never thought I would be here like this, that I would know you like this. I… When you came to my room that night, I never saw this happening." Jareth chuckled.

"Nor did I precious thing, but here we are." She shivered as he ran his fingers up and down her back. Fisting her fingers in the front of his shirt, she pulled him to her, pouring everything she had in the kiss she gave him. His arm held her securely against him as his free hand wound its way into her dark silken locks. He chuckled at her noise of protest when he pulled away. "I'm sorry my love, but the guard has arrived, surely in a frenzy." Sarah sighed and leaned against him. She knew the guard referred to their friends, clearly still unaware of her safe return. With one more fleeting kiss, Jareth helped his Queen to stand. With a flourish of his hand, the damage to her dress was repaired. She smiled in thanks, she didn't want to appear before their guests, albeit close friends, and have them worry more over her ragged state.

"Sarah! Oh my god!" They had barely entered the throne room before Selina had flung her arms around Sarah in a hug. "We thought the worst! Are you okay? What happened?" The dark haired queen chuckled as she returned her friends embrace.

"I'm fine, everything is alright."

"Selina, let the girl breathe so that she may tell us what happened." Feyore's amused voice broke through the young elf's incessant questioning. Jareth came to stand behind Sarah, a supportive hand on the small of her back as she recited everything that happened. An uncomfortable silence followed after her story. It was Eve who broke the silence.

"What are we to do?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I am going to finish this damnit! So… yea. Long time no see? I don't know how it's going to end, honestly, but summer is here, and I have more time to write. I'm sorry it's taken so long, but please bare with me. I've missed you all dearly. :) As always, review and let me know what you think, and forgive any errors that slip my eye.


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